Anger and hostility in adolescents: relationships with self-reported attachment style and perceived parental rearing styles.
OBJECTIVE
To examine relationships between self-reported attachment style and parental rearing behaviors, on the one hand, and anger/hostility, on the other hand, in a sample of nonclinical adolescents (N=441).


METHODS
Participants completed (a) a single-item measure of attachment style; (b) a questionnaire measuring perceptions of parental rearing behaviors; and (c) two scales assessing anger and hostility.


RESULTS
Self-reported attachment style was related to anger/hostility. That is, adolescents who defined themselves as avoidantly or ambivalently attached displayed higher levels of anger/hostility than adolescents who classified themselves as securely attached. Furthermore, perceived parental rearing was also related to anger/hostility. More specifically, low levels of emotional warmth and high levels of rejection, control, and inconsistency were accompanied by high levels of anger/hostility. Finally, regression analyses showed that both attachment status and parental rearing behaviors accounted for a unique and significant proportion of the variance in anger/hostility.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings are in keeping with the notion that family environment factors such as attachment style and parental rearing are involved in the development of anger/hostility in youths.
Muris
Peter
P
Department of Medical, Clinical, and Experimental Psychology, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. p.muris@dep.unimaas.nl
Meesters
Cor
C
Morren
Mattijn
M
Moorman
Lidwine
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000786:Anger; D002648:Child; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D016487:Parenting; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012938:Social Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires