The connection of negative experiences in the family of origin with an insecure attachment style and fear of intimacy in a partner relationship

Djetinjstvo je prepoznato kao važno životno razdoblje u razumijevanju razvojnih ishoda pojedinca. Mnoga dosadašnja istraživanja pokazuju da upravo iskustva iz djetinjstva imaju veliku ulogu u razumijevanju budućih partnerskih odnosa djeteta. Pri tome se velika važnost pridaje kvaliteti odnosa roditelja prema djetetu te kvaliteti međusobnog odnosa roditelja. Doživljaj roditeljskog prihvaćanja/odbacivanja kao dimenzija roditeljskog ponašanja ima važnu ulogu u socioemocionalnom razvoju djeteta i oblikovanju bliskih, interpersonalnih odnosa djeteta kroz cijeli život. Također, međusobni odnos roditelja predstavlja važan model za razvoj budućih partnerskih odnosa djeteta. S obzirom na to da je rana odrasla dob razdoblje uspostave romantičnih odnosa koje karakterizira povećana razina privrženosti i intimnosti, cilj ovog kvantitativnog istraživanja je ispitati povezanost između iskustava primarne obitelji i određenih obilježja partnerskih odnosa (strah od intimnosti, nesigurna privrženost). Istraživanje se bazira na neeksperimentalnom korelacijskom nacrtu, a provedeno je online anketnim upitnikom na prigodnom uzorku od 204 mladih odraslih osoba u dobi od 18 do 30 godina koji su trenutno u partnerskom odnosu ili imaju iskustvo partnerskog odnosa te su ujedno članovi različitih Facebook grupa namijenjenih mladim odraslim osobama. Rezultati istraživanja potvrđuju da su doživljaj roditeljskog odbacivanja i percepcija niže kvalitete partnerskog odnosa roditelja, statistički značajno povezani s višom razinom straha od intimnosti i višom razinom nesigurnog stila privrženosti u partnerskom odnosu mladih odraslih osoba. Zaključno, u radu je istaknuta važnost pravovremenog rada s obitelji s ciljem prevencije nepovoljnih razvojnih ishoda djeteta te nužnost prepoznavanja uloge primarne obitelji u oblikovanju i boljem razumijevanju dinamike partnerskih odnosa u odrasloj dobi.Childhood is recognized as an important life period in understanding the developmental outcomes of an individual. Many previous studies show that it is precisely childhood experiences that play a major role in understanding the child's future romantic relationships. At the same time, great importance is attached to the quality of the parents’ relationship with the child and to the quality of the parents’ mutual relationship. The experience of parental acceptance/rejection as a dimension of parental behavior plays an important role in the child's socioemotional development and the shaping of the child’s close, interpersonal relationship throughout life. Also, the mutual relationship between the parents represents an important model for the development of the child's future romantic relationships. Given that early adulthood is a period of establishing romantic relationships characterized by an increased level of attachment and intimacy, the goal of this quantitative research is to examine the connection between the experiences of the family of origin and certain romantic relationships features (fear of intimacy, insecure attachment). The research is based on a non-experimental correlational design and was conducted with an online questionnaire on a convenient sample of 204 young adults aged 18 to 30 who are currently in a romantic relationship or have experience in a romantic relationship and are also members of various Facebook groups intended for young adults. The results of the research confirm that the experience of parental rejection and the perception of a lower quality of the parents’ partner relationship are statistically significantly associated with a higher level of fear of intimacy and a higher level of insecure attachment style in the romantic relationship of young adults. In conclusion, the paper highlights the importance of timely work with the family with the aim of preventing unfavorable child development outcomes and the necessity of recognizing the role of the primary family in shaping and better understanding the dynamics of partner relationships in adulthood