1. Objectifs

Intentions :
« The present study uses Lazarus and Folkman’s model to operationalize social support as a comprehensive process that might account for the attachment/adjustment relation. We examined the mediating role of selected cognitive and behavioral manifestations of perceived social support in the relation between attachment state of mind in late adolescence and personal adjustment. » (p. 99)

Questions/Hypothèses :
« We expected: (1) that preoccupied attachment will be associated with strong reactions to stressful events, low support perceptions, low helpseeking behaviors and high levels of loneliness and withdrawal during the transition; (2) that dismissing attachment will be associated with low peer-reported help-seeking behaviors and with high peer-reported withdrawal; (3) that the relation between preoccupied attachment and loneliness and withdrawal will be mediated by reactions to stressful events, support perceptions and help-seeking; and (4) that the relation between dismissing attachment and withdrawal will be mediated by help-seeking. » (p. 101)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
« A selection of 62 French-speaking Caucasian adolescents (31 males and 31 females), aged 16 to 17, was randomly made from a sample of 298 participants involved in a longitudinal study of adjustment to college (Larose & Boivin,1998). [...] Of the 62 participants, 41 referred a peer and 36 peers agreed to complete the measures. » (p. 101)

Instruments :
- The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI; George et al., 1996)
- Main and Goldwyn’s (1998) classification system
- Measure of perceptions of social support specific to worrisome events (MPSSE; Larose & Boivin, 1997)
- The Test of Reactions and Adaptation in College (TRAC; Larose & Roy, 1995)
- UCLA Loneliness Scale-revised (UCLA; Russell, Peplau, & Cutrona, 1980)
- The Young Adult Behavior Checklist (YABCL; Achenbach, 1997)

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« This study examined the mediational link between attachment state of mind, social support processes and personal adjustment. The Adult Attachment Interview was administered to 62 adolescents during their college transition. At the end of high school and during their first semester in college, students completed questionnaires pertaining to primary and secondary appraisals; coping and personal adjustment were assessed through self- and peer-report questionnaires. A dismissing tendency was related to difficulty in getting assistance from peers and teachers and to peer-reported withdrawal. A preoccupied tendency was associated with stress regarding the transition, distrust in potential supporters, difficulty seeking help from teachers, and loneliness. Moreover, stress, distrust and help-seeking mediated the link between preoccupied attachment and loneliness, whereas the relation between dismissing attachment and withdrawal was not mediated by help-seeking. Cognitive and behavioral attachment processes are discussed. » (p. 96)