Attachment Security and Available Support: Closely Linked Relationship Qualities

Abstract

Perceived security of attachment to mother, father, same-sex peers, and opposite-sex peers, and perceived available support from members of the individual network of relationships were related to each other both cross-sectionally and longitudinally in a four-wave longitudinal study of 171 students. Security of attachment and available support were closely linked within particular relationships such as the relationship to mother, and modestly linked for categories of relationships such as same-sex peers; their consistency across relationships was much lower. Furthermore, longitudinal changes in attachment and support were correlated within relationships, but not between relationships. Thus, perceptions of attachment security and support availability reflected the fluctuating quality of the relationships. Consequences for research on attachment and support are discussed.