How is parenting and adolescents’ attachment related in diverse cultures?

Although parenting warmth is conceived as pan-cultural predictor of child attachment, some studies indicate that the extent of its effect differs across cultures and that in certain contexts attachment may be explained better by rejection than acceptance. Referring to an ecological framework, we asked to what extent culture moderates the relation between parenting (acceptance-rejection) and adolescents’ attachment. Our sample consisted of 4246 mothers and their adolescent children interviewed in 14 countries. Generic attachment was indicated by anxiety and avoidance. Results revealed that maternal parenting explained child attachment in general. However, effects on anxiety were moderated by culture. More precisely, in countries where effects of rejection were stronger, effects of acceptance were weaker. Results indicate that in some countries maternal rejection (compared to acceptance) is a stronger (or the only) predictor of adolescents’ anxiety. Results will be discussed in the framework of attachment and culture-informed model of intergenerational relations. ; Value of Children and Intergenerational Relations (VOC)