Parent-child attachment and monitoring in middle childhood

Research on parent-child attachment and parental child rearing practices has been pursued independently. The purpose of the present study was to test whether a secure attachment relationship is related to parental monitoring and child efforts to contribute to the monitoring process. This question wa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of family psychology Vol. 15; no. 1; p. 69
Main Authors Kerns, K A, Aspelmeier, J E, Gentzler, A L, Grabill, C M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.03.2001
Subjects
Adaptation, Psychological
Awareness
Child
Cooperative Behavior
Female
Humans
Male
Object Attachment
Parent-Child Relations
Parenting - psychology
Personality Assessment
Personality Development
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Summary:Research on parent-child attachment and parental child rearing practices has been pursued independently. The purpose of the present study was to test whether a secure attachment relationship is related to parental monitoring and child efforts to contribute to the monitoring process. This question was examined in a cross-sectional study of third- and sixth-grade children and their parents. Attachment-based measures were used to tap child and parent perceptions of attachment. Monitoring (i.e., parents' awareness of children's whereabouts and activities) was assessed through phone interviews with children and parents. Child contributions to monitoring were assessed with parent and child questionnaires. A more secure attachment was related to closer monitoring and greater cooperation by the child in monitoring situations, especially at sixth grade. The findings illustrate the importance of embedding attachment within a larger child rearing context.
ISSN:0893-3200
DOI:10.1037/0893-3200.15.1.69