Parental attachment and identity in Portuguese late adolescents

Based on a life-span attachment perspective and on identity status paradigm, this study investigated the relationship between attachment and identity in a sample of 361 Portuguese late adolescents as a function of parental and adolescent gender. The results indicated gender differences in the association between attachment variables and identity foreclosure. Although adolescents tended to report close emotional bonds with both parents, relationships with mothers seemed to play an important role in the tendency for foreclosure identity in boys. Adolescents who were in diffusion reported the least secure parental attachment and experienced the least separation anxiety. Parental inhibition of exploration and individuality, as perceived by adolescents, did not correlate with the identity dimensions.