Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 21, 2026

The Other End of the Leash: An Experimental Test to Analyze How Owners Interact with Their Pet Dogs
Published on: October 13, 2017
Anger and hostility in adolescents: relationships with self-reported attachment style and perceived parental rearing
Peter Muris1, Cor Meesters, Mattijn Morren
1Department of Medical, Clinical, and Experimental Psychology, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. p.muris@dep.unimaas.nl
Objective:
To examine relationships between self-reported attachment style and parental rearing behaviors, on the one hand, and anger/hostility, on the other hand, in a sample of nonclinical adolescents (N=441).
Method:
Participants completed (a) a single-item measure of attachment style; (b) a questionnaire measuring perceptions of parental rearing behaviors; and (c) two scales assessing anger and hostility.
Results:
Self-reported attachment style was related to anger/hostility. That is, adolescents who defined themselves as avoidantly or ambivalently attached displayed higher levels of anger/hostility than adolescents who classified themselves as securely attached. Furthermore, perceived parental rearing was also related to anger/hostility. More specifically, low levels of emotional warmth and high levels of rejection, control, and inconsistency were accompanied by high levels of anger/hostility. Finally, regression analyses showed that both attachment status and parental rearing behaviors accounted for a unique and significant proportion of the variance in anger/hostility.
Conclusion:
These findings are in keeping with the notion that family environment factors such as attachment style and parental rearing are involved in the development of anger/hostility in youths.
Related Concept Videos
Hazan and Shaver's Attachment Styles
Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
Attachment Styles
Relationship with Parents: Attachment
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Parenting Styles
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative Parenting
This...

