The Differences in Attachment, Depression, Suicidality, and Body Image in Alumni of All-girls versus Coeducational High Schools

School is a highly influential environment for adolescent girls as they begin the shift toward autonomy. Whether this is a single- (all-girls) or mixed-sex (coeducational) school is believed to affect the girls differently on important dimensions. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the sex-composition (i.e. 100% girls, or mixture of girls and boys) of high school environments and various measures of relational and emotional wellbeing, namely depression, suicidality, and body image after graduation. The relationship between attachment and these variables was also examined. Participants were 175 girls between the ages of 18 and 24 (97 all-girls alumni and 78 coeducational alumni). Significant differences were found with regards to depression and suicidality (all-girls alumni scored lower in both), and marginal differences were found with the impact of body image on quality of life between the two groups (all-girls alumni endorsed less negative impact of body image). Although the groups were similar in terms of attachment controlling for attachment did significantly affect several other variables. Specifically, there were significant positive correlations for the entire sample between insecure attachment and depression, suicidal behaviors, and body image disturbance, as well as a significant negative correlation between insecure attachment and ability to counteract the effects of poor body image on daily functioning. These correlations remained significant when examining the all-girls and coeducational samples, separately. Findings may provide useful information for clinicians working with children, high school students, and young adult women. Schools and parents may also benefit from these results.