Parental Bonding in Childhood and Relationships with Friends and Siblings in Adolescence: A Correlational Study

Abstract

According to attachment theory, the quality of the early child-parent bond determines the child’s interpersonal relationships later in life. Utilising data from the First Intervention Study in Transference - In Teenagers (FEST-IT), this paper investigates the reported relationship between parental bonding in childhood and the importance of friendship and relationship with siblings, in depressed adolescents. The scales employed were the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and the Adolescent Relationship scale (ARS). A Pearson’s correlation was run in order to test the relationship between maternal and paternal care and control, and the measured importance of friendship and relationship with siblings. Results revealed a statistically significant negative correlation between high levels of maternal control and reported importance of friendship, and a statistically significant positive correlation between high levels of paternal care and reported importance of relationships with siblings.