Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2009

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Kevin Larkin.

Abstract

Several factors (i.e., parental divorce, parent-child relationship quality, interparental conflict, individual forgiveness) that have been investigated separately in relation to adult romantic attachment were examined alongside family forgiveness, which has not previously explored in relation to attachment. Undergraduate students (N = 299) completed several surveys online for the current study. Several significant findings emerged when factors were considered in path models individually, and in an overall path model built on the basis of those individual model findings. Maternal and paternal social support, maternal negative interactions, and family forgiveness were moderators of parental divorce---romantic attachment relations. Based upon these findings, it was concluded that (1) several factors should be accounted for beyond parental divorce when considering the link between parental marital status and romantic attachment in young adulthood, and (2) family and individual forgiveness, which have not been studied as extensively as other factors in the relevant literature, should also be included in future investigations of romantic attachment.

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