| Summary: | Attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969) maintains that children's early experiences with primary caregivers evolve into internal working models which shape beliefs about the availability and responsiveness of others and worthiness of the self. These models, also called attachment styles, guide individuals' emotional and relational behaviors, particularly in times of stress. Research with adolescents and adults has demonstrated that individuals with different attachment styles cope with and adapt to stressful situations in different ways. The present study investigated the role of attachment in the coping and distress levels of 196 adolescents whose parents are living with or have died from Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Attachment style was measured as both a continuous variable on the dimensions of anxiety and avoidance and as a categorical variable of four discrete styles—secure, preoccupied, dismissing and fearful When baseline perceptions of parental care and protection, disruption in maternal caregiving, gender, and ethnicity were controlled for, adolescents who had high levels of attachment anxiety were more likely to use all types of coping strategies and have higher levels of mental distress than those with high levels of avoidance or those low on both avoidance and anxiety. Females who displayed a fearful style of attachment (ie., high on both anxiety and avoidance) were less likely to use adaptive coping strategies. Contrary to expectations, securely attached adolescents did not report more adaptive coping strategies than insecures. The use of ruminative and distancing coping strategies partially mediated the relationship between attachment and the level of distress. There was no differential effect of bereavement on attachment styles. Among bereaved adolescents, those who were living independently evidenced more attachment avoidance than those who had a caregiver and those who perceived their caregiver as warm and caring reported less grief than those who did not. Implications, suggestions for future research and limitations are discussed.
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