Longitudinal effects of father‐adolescent attachment on anxiety: A multi‐informant study

Abstract Research has demonstrated that many elements of the family context can play a significant role in the development of anxiety in adolescents. Some work suggests that parent‐adolescent attachment may serve as an antecedent of adolescent anxiety problems, but there remains a gap in research that examines both the mother‐adolescent and father‐adolescent attachment relationship and its impact on adolescent anxiety. Evidence suggests that parent‐child attachment security may provide a context for the development of emotion regulation skills; if an adolescent lacks these important regulatory capabilities in a time of stressful transitions, this may be related to increased feelings of anxiety. However, little is known about the particular effects of father‐adolescent attachment on anxiety, especially in early to mid‐adolescence. The present study addresses parental influences on the development of adolescent anxiety in a sample of 295 mothers, fathers, and adolescents studied across three years. Two dyadic growth‐curve models were specified: one for mother‐adolescent dyads and the other for father‐adolescent dyads. Results indicated that linear increases in adolescent reports of secure attachment with their fathers were predictive of linear decreases in adolescent reports of anxiety. Interestingly, there were no significant effects for the mother‐adolescent model. The results call attention to the developmental significance of attachment to fathers in buffering adolescents from emerging anxiety in this developmental period. The present study contributes to a growing body of research that highlights the importance of the father‐child relationship in adolescence.