The Effects of Parent and Peer Attachment on Risky Behavior in First-Year College Students

National statistics show that there is a marked increase in risky behaviors, such as substance use and risky sex, when students enter college (Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2009). In order to explain this phenomenon, researchers have explored multiple individual and environmental factors that might explain why some students are at higher risk for engaging in these behaviors. The quality of one’s relationship with a parent(s) has emerged as one key predictor of student adjustment (Larose, Bernier, & Tarabulsy, 2005; Larose & Boivin, 1998). Accordingly, in the current study it was hypothesized that the quality of first-year students’ relationships with parents and friends (parent and peer attachment) would predict the likelihood of engaging in risky behavior. Since few studies have explored more proximal variables that might explain the relations between attachment and risky behavior, the current study examined whether emotion regulation and self-esteem also predicted engagement in risky behavior. It was hypothesized that lower parent/peer attachment would be associated with difficulties in emotion regulation and in turn, problems with emotion regulation would predict substance use. Also, based on previous research, it was expected that higher levels of attachment would be associated with greater self-esteem and, in turn, higher self-esteem would predict lower rates of risky sexual behavior. To test these hypotheses, a sample of first-year Trinity students (N= 69) completed an online survey with questions about their relationships with parents and peers, emotion regulation strategies, self-esteem, alcohol use and related problems, drug use, and risky sexual behavior. As hypothesized, close relationships with parents and peers were associated with less difficulty with emotion regulation and higher levels of self-esteem, and close relationships with parents predicted a lower intensity of heavy drinking. Contrary to the hypotheses, neither quality of ATTACHMENT AND RISKY BEHAVIOR 6 parent/peer attachment nor emotion regulation predicted alcohol-related problems, and greater attachment to peers predicted more pronounced heavy drinking. Future research should examine other variables besides emotion regulation that might explain the link between parent attachment and heavy drinking. Given that peer attachment was positively associated with intensity of heavy drinking, future research also should examine, in greater detail, the nature of the link between attachment and heavy drinking. ATTACHMENT AND RISKY BEHAVIOR 7 Introduction Numerous studies have shown that the transition to college is a time during which many young adults show an increase in risky behaviors. For example, one in three college students is diagnosed with alcohol abuse and one in 17 is considered to be alcohol dependent (Weschler et al., 1993-2001). Results from the 2004 Core Institute survey (as cited in Ross & Dejong, 2008) indicate that 45.3% of first-year students nationwide are classified as heavy drinkers. Data from the 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicates that over one third of college students reported having sex with six or more partners. Moreover, only 29.6% of sexually active college students reported that they or their partner used a condom the last time they had sexual intercourse, and only 27.9% reported that they or their partner use a condom “most of the time. ” Since certain risky behaviors such as those described above seem to become more prevalent during and following the transition to college, it is critical to examine factors that might make some students more likely to engage in these behaviors during this time. Developmental factors, such as the quality of attachment to one’s caregiver, have been shown to play a significant role in how students adapt to the college environment (Kenny & Rice, 1995) and perhaps, their propensity to engage in risky behaviors. According to Bowlby’s theory of attachment (1969/73/82), the attachment system develops in infancy as an evolutionary strategy for helpless infants to gain a sense of protection. Infants will meet their attachment needs through interactions with primary caregivers. As these behaviors develop, the infant will seek proximity to the primary caregiver in order to establish a sense of security and safety during times of threat or distress. In the absence of threat or distress, the infant will create more distance from the primary caregiver in order to engage in exploratory behavior. According to Bowlby’s ATTACHMENT AND RISKY BEHAVIOR 8 theory, these behaviors tend to be stable throughout life but are most evident during times of physical or psychological distress. Researchers have regarded the transition to college as a potentially stressful event and one that activates students’ attachment systems in many ways. During this transition, young adults often experience their first long-term separation from their parents, friends, and sometimes even romantic partners (Larose, Bernier & Tarabulsy, 2005). In addition, students can be confused as to how they feel about being separated from their parents. While this is often a time where independence becomes more desirable, students may feel a sense of anxiety as well. Upon entering a new environment, students are likely to experience a sense of uncertainty and ambivalence as they are faced with new stressors and responsibilities and can no longer be directly comforted by their parents (Mikulincer & Florian, 1998). While close relationships to caregivers can function as a protective factor for individuals facing important transitions, strained relationships can put them at higher risk for poor social, academic, and emotional adjustment (Larose & Boivin, 1998; Mikulincer & Florian, 1998). Upon the activation of the attachment system during this time of transition, individuals who are less securely attached may be more likely to adopt maladaptive styles of coping with distress, preventing them from adjusting appropriately to their new environment (Larose, Bernier & Tarabulsy, 2005). Development of Attachment in Childhood Attachment can be defined as “an enduring affectional bond of substantial intensity” (Armsden & Greenberg, 1987, p. 428) that allows a person to maintain proximity to another individual who is believed to have superior coping abilities (Bowlby, 1998). This phenomenon is most evident during times of distress, when the individual is in need of comfort and caregiving (Bowlby, 1998). According to Bowlby’s theory, the early experiences that one has with an ATTACHMENT AND RISKY BEHAVIOR 9 attachment figure will have a profound impact on his or her emotions and behavior later in life. In particular, research has shown that the early development of attachment behavior has a highly significant influence over one’s sense of safety, social acceptance, and well-being (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2007). The attachment system serves two primary functions for the young child (Hazan & Shaver, 1994). Bowlby’s (1969/73/82) theory of attachment was formed under the assumption that infants develop behaviors that allow them to acquire or maintain proximity to their primary caregivers. This proximity-seeking behavior offers a sense of security during times of perceived distress, a phenomenon known as “safe haven. ” According to Bowlby’s theory, an additional role of the attachment system is a phenomenon known as secure base. This phenomenon implies that a secure attachment with the primary caregiver will provide the child with confidence that his/her primary caregiver is available for protection and support, which, in turn, allows the child to explore his/her surroundings with a sense of safety. According to this theory, the extent to which the attachment system performs its primary functions will depend on the availability of the attachment figure in times of distress. The degree to which an attachment figure shows sensitivity and responsiveness to one’s needs, and provides comfort and support during times of distress is crucial in the development of the attachment system (Bowlby, 1969/73/82). Ainsworth and her colleagues (1978) developed a system of examining infants’ behaviors upon the separation and reunion with their primary caregivers in a “strange situation,” whereby infants were placed in an experimental room with their mothers and a set of toys. The mothers were first asked to leave the room, at which point a stranger entered. Shortly after, the stranger left the room and the mother re-entered. Researchers examined four main criteria: (1) how infants reacted to the stress of being left in the room alone, (2) the infants’ level of anxiety when ATTACHMENT AND RISKY BEHAVIOR 10 the stranger entered the room, (3) the infants’ willingness to explore the strange situation (measured by the degree to which the infants played with the toys), and (4) how quickly they were soothed by their mothers’ return. The experimenters then categorized the infants into three different groups of attachment based on their reactions. Ainsworth found that the infants of responsive parents developed secure attachment styles. In the Strange Situation, secure infants were likely to explore freely, exhibit distress when their mothers left the room, and were comforted when their mothers returned (Ainsworth et al., 1978). The other two categories represent infants considered to be insecurely attached. The infants of unresponsive parents developed anxious-resistant attachment styles, commonly referred to as avoidant. In the Strange Situation, avoidant infants ignored their mothers while they were in the room, did not show distress when they left the room, and showed disinterest upon their return. The infants of inconsistently responsive mothers developed anxiousambivalent attachment styles, commonly referred to as anxious. In the Strange Situation, anxious infants did not explore their surroundings, showed extreme distress when their mother left the room, and showed a