Relations between parenting and adolescents' attachment in diverse cultures

That caregiver’s sensitivity is underlying individual differences in child attachment is well documented beyond infancy by focusing on parental warmth, indicated by acceptance and rejection. Some studies suggest that in certain contexts attachment may be explained better by negative (rejection) than by positive aspects of parenting (acceptance). We analyzed parental acceptance, rejection and psychological control as predictors of adolescents’ attachment asking two questions: How is adolescents’ mental representation of maternal parenting related to their attachment in diverse cultures? How is adolescents’ mental representation of maternal acceptance and rejection related to their perception of maternal psychological control in diverse cultures? A sample of 4246 adolescents (between 14 and 17 years old) was studied in 14 countries. Adolescents’ perception of attachment and maternal parenting were assessed by self-reports. Results revealed that maternal acceptance explains adolescents’ attachment security in Western cultures, while attachment security was explained by perceived low maternal rejection in non-Western cultures and by low psychological control in post-communistic countries. Differences in the relation between acceptance and control suggest that perception of maternal acceptance in the context of her psychological control may underlie the acceptance-attachment link. The results are discussed in light of culture-specific socialization conditions and cultural values of development