Adolescent Attachment

Attachment theory has been applied to early childhood development and adulthood.  In an effort to discover possible applications of attachment theory to adolescence, Brown and Wright (2001) conducted a selective review of the literature.  Brown and Wright propose that there are several significant similarities (such as rapid neurological change, fluctuating hormone levels, and the need for a secure base) between early childhood development and adolescence that suggest that adolescent attachment patterns are important and should be further researched.  

Psychopathology

Several studies indicate that attachment patterns in adolescents and their relationship to psychopathology are similar to those of earlier developmental periods.   Homann (1997) linked depression during adolescence to insecure (dismissing) maternal attachment.  Suicidality has been positively correlated with preoccupied and unresolved attachment styles (Adam, et al., 1995). Conduct Disorder has been found to be associated with unresolved and dismissing attachment types (Allen, et al., 1996; Rosenstein & Horowitz, 1996), while adults with antisocial and personality disorders have been associated with unresolved attachment suggesting that adolescents with dismissing and unresolved attachments may be at greater risk of developing these disorders.

The following video is about attachment styles between teens and their parental figures.  It is important to also remember that attachment styles between teens and non-caregiver figures are important since the onset of puberty usually marks a widening of teens' support base to include sexually and emotionally intimate non-caregiver relationships.

References

Adam KS, Sheldon-Keller AE, West M. 1995. Attachment organization and vulnerability to loss, separation and abuse in disturbed adolescents. Cited by Brown, L. S., & Wright, J. (2001). Attachment theory in adolescence and its relevance to developmental psychopathology. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 8(1), 15-32. doi: 10.1002/cpp.274

Allen JP, Hauser ST, Borman-Spurrell E. 1996. Attachment theory as a framework for understanding sequelae of severe adolescent psychopathology: an 11-year follow-up study.  Cited by Brown, L. S., & Wright, J. (2001). Attachment theory in adolescence and its relevance to developmental psychopathology. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 8(1), 15-32. doi: 10.1002/cpp.274

Brown, L. S., & Wright, J. (2001). Attachment theory in adolescence and its relevance to developmental psychopathology. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 8(1), 15-32. doi: 10.1002/cpp.274

Homann E. 1997. Attachment and affect regulation indepressed mothers and their adolescent daughters. Cited by Brown, L. S., & Wright, J. (2001). Attachment theory in adolescence and its relevance to developmental psychopathology. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 8(1), 15-32. doi: 10.1002/cpp.274

Rosenstein, D. S., & Horowitz, H. A. (1996). Adolescent attachment and psychopathology. Journal Of Consulting And Clinical Psychology, 64(2), 244-253. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.64.2.244