Het Effect van Gehechtheid op Gedragsproblematiek bij Vroeg-Adolescenten: Verschillen tussen Nederland en India

Aim This cross-cultural study examines the relationship between internalising and externalising problem behavior of early-adolescents and the degree of attachment to their father and mother. A comparison is made between Dutch and Indian early-adolescents and between boys and girls. Method A total of 384 Dutch and 186 Indian young-adolescents, aged 9-13 years, participated in this study. The data was gathered in 2008, in ten Dutch primary schools en two Indian medium schools. The participants completed two questionnaires, concerning attachment to their parents and their problem behavior. Results Results show that a higher degree of attachment to father and mother is correlated to less problem behavior. A hierarchical regression analysis with interaction effect has shown that the effect of attachment to father on both internalising and externalising problem behavior is stronger for girls than for boys. Furthermore, it is shown that the effect of attachment to father on problem behavior is stronger for Indian early-adolescents and that the effect of attachment to mother on externalizing behavior is stronger for Dutch young-adolescents. Conclusion The effect of attachment to father and mother is moderated by gender and nationality. This study provided new views about the differences between Western and non-Western cultures. More research is needed to replicate research results