| This study examined the adulthood attachment patterns of people who grew up in United States military families, commonly referred to as "military brats." During their formative years, military brats undergo numerous stressors such as forced mobility, multiple school system transitions, living overseas without extended family, parental deployments, and social losses. The purpose of this study was to examine adulthood military brat relationship attachments and explore how the demands of a military upbringing (e.g., frequent moving, parental deployment) relate to these adult attachment patterns. Participants (n = 422) completed an online survey of the Relationship Structures (RS) attachment scale, Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), Exposure to Abusive and Supportive Environments Parenting Inventory (EASE-PI), relationship perception questions, and demographic information. Participants answered attachment questions about their mother, father, romantic partner, and a best friend in the RS. Bivariate correlations and Williams' T2 tests indicated that parent attachment models were the most similar (when also comparing best friend and romantic partner attachment models). A cluster analysis of RS scores demonstrated a five-cluster solution with the following attachment groups: poor parent attachment (and secure attachment in all other relationships), poor partner attachment, all secure attachment, poor best friend attachment, and all insecure attachment. A MANOVA was conducted to validate cluster analysis findings, and expected differences were obtained in SWLS, EASE-PI, and relationship perception outcomes. Lastly, multinomial logistic regressions and multiple regressions were conducted to determine if military factors predicted attachment after controlling for demographic and family environment variables. Gender, current relationship status, mother emotional abusiveness, father emotional abusiveness, and father physical abusiveness were significant predictors in the regressions. No military factors emerged as significant. Limitations, implications for research, and counseling implications are discussed. Professionals are encouraged to use preventative strategies when working with military families, and to consider attachment perspectives when counseling adult military brats. |
