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Child-parent attachment and children's peer relations: a quantitative review
B H Schneider1, L Atkinson, C Tardif
1School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. barry@uottawa.ca
Developmental Psychology
|February 24, 2001
Summary
Secure early child-parent bonds positively influence later peer relationships. This meta-analysis confirms attachment security
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Attachment Theory
Background:
- Attachment theory posits that early child-parent bond security shapes lifelong interpersonal relationships.
- Understanding this link is crucial for developmental and social psychology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To meta-analyze the correlation between child-parent attachment and children's peer relations.
- To quantify the effect size and explore moderating factors.
Main Methods:
- Meta-analysis of 63 studies examining child-parent attachment and peer relations.
- Inclusion of studies using the Strange Situation and Q-sort methods.
Main Results:
- A small-to-moderate, homogeneous effect size was found for child-mother attachment.
- Effects were stronger for peer relations in middle childhood and adolescence compared to early childhood.
- Attachment security showed a larger impact on close friendships than general peer relations.
Conclusions:
- Secure early attachment is a significant predictor of positive peer relationships throughout development.
- Findings support attachment theory's central premise across different developmental stages and peer contexts.
- Father-child attachment data was insufficient for conclusive analysis.
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