Controlling mothers, insecure daughters: parental style and adult attachment

Abstract

There is a proven relationship between adult attachment and parental style, yet the use of Life History Theory, in a “majority of the world” country, with advanced statistical analysis, can bring new results. In view of this, the objective of this study was to identify and relate the perceived parental style of 150 Brazilian women aged 18-45 years. The Relationship Style Scale and the Parental Bonding Instrument were used. Attachment security ranged from 48.0% to 67.9%, which exposes the impact of the type of statistical analysis. Analyses of structural equation models revealed that the maternal control dimension was more important to the attachment style of women, while paternal care and control were both relevant. Life History Theory can explain this result through the influence of maternal control on changes in female development, which are due to different parental investment, which influences sexual strategy.