title: Perceived Parenting Styles Fail to Mediate Between Anxiety and Attachment Styles in Adult Siblings of Individuals with Developmental Disabilities.
abstract: Adult siblings of individuals with developmental disabilities often experience higher levels of anxiety than individuals in the general population. The present study tested whether perceived parenting could mediate the relationship between attachment styles and anxiety in the sibling group compared to a control group. Little association was found between perceived parenting and attachment styles or anxiety for the siblings but there were robust and expected findings for the control. Adult attachment-related-anxiety was a significant unique predictor of anxiety in the sibling group but there was no mediational role for perceived parenting. Conversely, the majority of parenting styles significantly mediated the relationship between attachment and anxiety in the control. Implications for the atypical findings in the sibling group are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester, CH1 4BJ, UK. l.oneill@chester.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Linda P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester, CH1 4BJ, UK.
authors.forename: Lindsay E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D032721:Adult Children / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D002658:Developmental Disabilities; D004314:Down Syndrome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010465:Perception; D011218:Prader-Willi Syndrome; D035781:Siblings / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adult siblings; Anxiety; Attachment styles; Developmental disabilities; Perceived parenting styles