| Late adolescence, and in particular the college experience, is widely recognized as a period of tremendous growth. Psychological theorists (e.g. Blos, 1967; Chickering, 1969; Erikson, 1968) have suggested that during this time period adolescents are in the process of modifying their relationships with parents and creating a unique identity. A number of studies have demonstrated that there is a relationship between attachment to parents and identity development in college students (e.g. Benson, Harris, & Rogers, 1992; Faber, Edwards, Bauer, & Wechtler, 2003; Lapsley, Rice, & Fitzgerald, 1990; Meeus, Iedema, & Engels, 2005). The present study explored whether identity status (Marcia, 1966) and parental attachment predict college adjustment, and whether this relationship differs by gender.;A sample of 209 college students completed the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (EOM-EIS; Bennion & Adams, 1986), the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA; Armsden & Greenberg, 1987), and the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ; Baker & Syrik, 1984). The results of a multivariate multiple regression showed that attachment to mother was positively related to college adjustment, and the interpersonal diffusion identity status was negatively related to college adjustment. Gender predicted college adjustment, such that males in the sample reported higher college adjustment. However, the lack of an interaction of gender and each of the identity status and attachment variables indicated that the relationship of and parental attachment did not differ by gender. |
