Perceived attachment to fathers and mothers and shame in early adolescence

Sandra Gerulaitis, Jussane Azevedo, Marília Fernandes, Manuela Veríssimo, Maryse Guedes

Abstract


Abstract: Shame results from a set of complex ideas about the self and, when intense and prolonged, may interfere adolescents’ socioemotional adjustment. Research with young adults found that parent-child attachment was associated with shame. Due to the limited number of studies during adolescence, this study aimed to examine the role of the perceptions of safe haven and secure base in the relationship with the mother and the father in self-reported shame in a sample of adolescents aged 10 to 15 years. A total of 312 adolescents (45% boys) aged, on average, 12 years, recruited from a school of the Metropolitan Lisbon, participated in the study. Participants answered the Portuguese version of the Security Scale Questionnaire (SSQ) and the External and Internal Shame Scale for Adolescents (EVEI-A) to assess perceptions of safe haven and secure base in the relationships with parents and total, internal, and external shame. Higher scores of secure base and safe haven in the relationships with the father and with the mother were associated with self-reports of lower levels of overall, internal, and external shame. The strength of the associations between the scores of safe haven and internal shame tended to be higher for the relationship with the mother than for the relationship with the father. These findings are consistent with research conducted with young adults and highlight the importance of assessing the role of both fathers and mothers as a safe haven and secure base


Keywords


Attachment, Shame, Secure base, Safe haven, Adolescence

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.14417/ap.2113

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