Attachment quality, parental monitoring, and peer relations as predictors of risky behaviors among ethnic minority youth

The purpose of this study was to explore the association between parent/child attachment, the parenting practice of monitoring and peer relations and how these predict behavioral/relational problems in an ethnic minority adolescent population in an alternative education setting. Additionally, this study's sample used a middle adolescent population. Most studies on attachment have focused on a preadolescent or late adolescent population. It was hypothesized that: (1) the distribution of attachment styles in this study's population would show that (a) ambivalent adolescents would have high rates of behavior and peer relations problems and low levels of parental monitoring; (b) avoidant adolescents would have high to moderate rates of behavior and peer relation problems and low levels of parental monitoring; and (c) secure adolescents would have low rates of behavior and peer relation problems and high levels of parental monitoring and (2) the relationship between attachment and risky behavior would be mediated by parental monitoring and peer relationships.; Eighty-three participants took part in this study. All variables investigated in this study were assessed through self-report measures: Demographic Data Survey (DDS); Inventory of Parent and Peer Relations (IPPA); Index of Peer Relations (IPR); Parental Monitoring Questionnaire (PMQ); and the Child Behavior Checklist, 6-18 (CBCL, 6-18).; A Pearson correlation coefficient was conducted to determine if there was a relationship between attachment and risky behaviors. Results showed there was no relationship. Therefore, no other analysis was completed using the mediation model. However, this study did show that there was a significant positive relationship between parental monitoring and attachment. There were no significant correlations between peer relations and other study variables.; An independent t-test analysis was conducted to explore whether risky behaviors occurred more with the male or female population in this study. Results showed that females presented with more internalizing behaviors than males as well as more overall risky behaviors than males.; These findings emphasize the need for further research using a larger sample size, with a continued focus on ethnic minorities and a middle adolescent population.