Linking parental developmental history, perceptions of parenting behaviors and attachment: Precursors to peer relatedness in emerging adulthood

This study examined parental developmental history and the mediating role of parental depression and parenting behaviors in the relationship between parental attachment and social peer relatedness in emerging adulthood. Two hundred-twenty eight (228) undergraduate students along with their mothers (n=212) and fathers (n=156) participated in this study. Students reported on their attachment characteristics with their fathers, mothers and close peers. Fathers and mothers reported on their perceptions of the quality of parenting received from their father within the family of origin, perceptions of their parenting behaviors and levels of depressive symptomology. Path analysis was used to test mediation models for fathers and mothers. The models tested: (a) the strength and nature of the direct relationship between parent's developmental history and peer relatedness in emerging adulthood, (b) the strength and nature of the indirect relationship between parents developmental history and emerging adult social peer relatedness through parental depression and parenting behaviors (warmth/acceptance vs. rejection/hostility), and parent- emerging adult attachment quality. Path analyses found direct relationships between mothers' developmental history and peer relatedness and indirect relationships between mothers' depression, parenting and emerging adult attachment but no significant relationship between emerging adult-mother attachment and peer relatedness. Indirect relationships were found between fathers' developmental history, depression, parenting, emerging adult attachment and peer relatedness and no direct relationship between fathers' developmental history and peer relatedness. The findings are discussed in the context of differential and/or separate influences of mothers' and fathers' on peer relatedness in late adolescence/ emerging adulthood.