Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 10, 2026

Chronic Social Defeat Stress in Early Adolescent Male Mice
Published on: January 24, 2025
Attachment and loss experiences during childhood are associated with adult hostility, depression, and social support
1Behavioral Medicine Research Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. lluecke@imap4.asu.edu
Objectives:
This study examined developmental antecedents to psychosocial traits in adulthood that have been linked in prior studies to increased risk of heart disease. The hypothesis was tested that early parental loss coupled with poor-quality family relationships (FR) during childhood would be associated with increased hostility and depression, and lower social support in adulthood.
Methods:
Participants included 30 university students who experienced the death of one parent before the age of 16, and 31 control participants. Questionnaires were completed measuring current social support, hostility, depression, and the quality of FR.
Results:
Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) supported the hypothesis of maladaptive psychosocial characteristics in loss participants reporting poorer-quality FR. Significant interactions of loss and FR were found for individual variables of depressive symptoms, social support, and hostility.
Conclusion:
These results provide evidence that parental loss in childhood is associated with health-damaging psychosocial characteristics in adulthood only if the quality of the surviving FR is poor.
Related Concept Videos
Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
Attachment Styles
Hazan and Shaver's Attachment Styles
Relationship with Parents: Attachment
Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings
Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...