Attachment and adolescents' emotion regulation during a joint problem-solving task with a friend

This study looks at adolescents' emotion regulation patterns during a joint problem-solving situation with a friend, based on data from a longitudinal study. Specifically concurrent attachment representation, as assessed by t he Adult Attachment Interview and earlier infant-father and infant-mother a ttachment patterns, as assessed by the strange situation procedure are used as predictors. A total of 41 adolescents participated in a complex problem -solving situation with their friends and were videotaped during their work . Emotional expression and cooperative and uncooperative, disruptive behavi our were assessed from the videotapes. Each participant completed an emotio n self-rating during the task. The results show that the concordance betwee n the two levels of assessment of emotion relates to attachment representat ion for the emotions sadness and anger. Depending on the intensity of speci fic emotions, adolescents with insecure attachment representations showed m ore disruptive behaviours towards their friend. This was also true for adol escents with insecure infant-father attachment patterns. The findings sugge st that attachment organisation in adolescence and infancy influences the b alance between autonomous and cooperative problem solving between friends.