The Interpersonal Antecedents of Attachment Security in Early Adulthood

Editorial reading guide · Trust

Which early relationships were measured before young adults described attachment security?

The long follow-up places earlier interpersonal experiences and later security at different points in time.

Who was studied?

Participants in a birth cohort followed into early adulthood

Age / stage: Childhood through early adulthood

Read with three questions

1. Which early relationships were measured before young adults described attachment security?
2. What was measured at each observation, and what other influences might account for the link?
3. Which features of the study population (participants in a birth cohort followed into early adulthood) would matter when applying the findings in another setting?

Keep the limits in view

Long follow-up can clarify the order of measured events, but participants retained into adulthood may differ from those lost. Later attachment cannot be attributed to one early relationship alone.