An exploration of the links between qualities of the parent-child relationship and romantic relational aggression

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between attachment style, parental behaviors and attitudes, and romantic relational aggression. A review of the literature underscored the continuity between the quality of one's early attachment relationships with parents/caregivers and the quality of subsequent relationships with both peers and romantic partners. Insecure attachment relationships have consistently been associated with a variety of negative outcomes, though the current study focuses exclusively on the development of aggressive behavior. Research conducted on the relationship between attachment and aggression has found that insecurely attached individuals are more likely to aggress against peers and romantic partners than their secure counterparts. Parental psychological control or overprotection has similarly been identified within the literature as a risk factor for the development of aggressive behavior. The current study explored the role that both attachment to parents and parental attitudes and behaviors play in the development of relationally aggressive behavior in romantic relationships. Participants in the current study were 154 heterosexual males and females, all 18 years of age and older, each of whom completed a survey based upon their relationships with both parents/caregivers and romantic partners. Statistical analyses revealed that relationships with fathers early in life play an important role in the development of relationally aggressive behavior in romantic relationships, while relationships with mothers did not emerge as significant predictors of romantic relational aggression. Individuals with more secure attachments to their fathers were less likely to aggress relationally against a romantic partner than were insecurely attached individuals. Similarly, fathers who demonstrated more warmth and caring had children who engaged in less romantic relational aggression than those with fathers who were colder and less supportive. This study provides additional insight into the antecedents of relationally aggressive behavior in romantic relationships and highlights the legacy even the earliest relationships leave.