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    Adolescent Attachment

    Running Head: ADOLESCENT ATTACHMENT

    Adolescent Attachment, Peer Relationshis, and School Success:

    Predictor, Mediator, and Moderator Relations

    !ill Carli"ati

    Distinguished Ma#ors Thesis

    $ni"ersit% o& 'irginia

    Aril, ())*

    Ad"isor: Dr+ !oseh P+ AllenSecond Reader: Dr+ Nanc% S+ ein&ield

    *

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    Adolescent Attachment

    Ac-no.ledgements

    Man% indi"iduals heled ma-e the .riting o& m% thesis a re.arding learning

    e/erience+ Through their unsel&ish suort, 0 met each ro#ect challenge con&identl% as 0

    gained ne. insights into 1oth adolescent de"eloment and research methodolog%+

    0 than- Dr+ !oseh P+ Allen not onl% &or his ongoing guidance .ith the ro#ect, 1ut

    also &or his leadershi .ith the 'irginia Stud% o& Teens and 2amilies, .hich ro"ided the

    &rame.or- &or m% stud%+ M% &re3uent discussions .ith Dr+ Allen on underl%ing theor%

    and ro#ect design ro"ed in"alua1le+ His direction and suort ro"ided clarit%,

    disciline, and meaning to m% .or-+

    Similarl%, 0 e/ress dee areciation to Dr+ Nanc% S+ ein&ield, not onl% &or

    ser"ing as m% second reader, 1ut also &or her instruction on the nature o& attachment+ Her 

    e/ertise in this area, as .ell as her .illingness to share this -no.ledge, enhanced m%

    understanding o& adolescent attachment and o&&ered me ne. insights+

    Additionall%, 0 e/tend a sincere than-4%ou to Heather Tencer &or ser"ing as m%

    graduate ad"isor+ Her assistance .ith data anal%sis and the o1ser"ations she made on

    earl% "ersions o& the aer .ere articularl% "alua1le+

    Other mem1ers o& Dr+ Allen5s la1, articularl% Penn% Marsh, 2elicia Hall, and

    Mar%&rances Porter .ere also "er% hel&ul to me as 0 ursued m% .or-+ 0 sincerel%

    areciate their suort .ith SAS rogramming and school data anal%sis+

    2inall%, to m% &amil%, than- %ou &or &irst teaching me the imortance o& arent4

    child relationshis+

    (

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    Adolescent Attachment

    A1stract

    6ecause o& the in&luences o& school success on di"erse areas o& de"eloment and the

    emiricall% suggested connections among adolescent attachment, eer relations, and

    academic &actors, the relationshis among these constructs .ere in"estigated+ A samle

    o& *78 ninth and tenth graders at ris- &or academic di&&iculties articiated in the stud%+

    0ndeendent redicti"e lin-s 1et.een attachment and school &actors, attachment and eer

    &actors, and eer and school &actors .ere anal%9ed+ The ossi1ilit% o& eer &actors

    ser"ing as a mediator o& the relation 1et.een attachment and school &actors .as

    considered+ 2inall%, interactions 1et.een attachment and eer &actors in redicting

    school satis&action and er&ormance .ere e/amined+ 0ndeendent lin-s among the three

    constructs, as .ell as some mediated and moderated e&&ects o& eer relationshis, .ere

    suorted+ Results suggest that a model considering 1oth attachment and eer

    relationshi &actors ma% 1est e/lain teenagers5 satis&action .ith school and er&ormance

    in the academic en"ironment+

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    Adolescent Attachment

    Adolescent Attachment, Peer Relationshis, and School Success:

    Predictor, Mediator, and Moderator Relations

    Current research suggests that school er&ormance correlates .ith 3ualit% o& one5s

    interersonal relationshis and additional de"elomental outcomes+ Academic &ailure, as

    assessed 1% the &re3uenc% o& ro1lems .ith eers and di&&icult% .ith school .or-, has a

    great imact on relationshis in the home, as students .ho ha"e had a 1ad da% at school

    are more li-el% to disla% a"ersi"e 1eha"ior to.ards their arents that e"ening ;Reetti,

    *

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    Adolescent Attachment

    Poor school er&ormance also has conse3uences on h%sical health+ Academic

    achie"ement has 1een sho.n to in&luence the association 1et.een the arent4child

    relationshi and a teenager5s in"ol"ement in a regnanc% ;Scaramell, Conger, Simons, >

    hit1ec-, *

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    Adolescent Attachment

     articular, the adult4child, or more seci&icall% the arent4child, relationshi must 1e

    targeted to success&ull% ad"ance academicall% at4ris- teenagers ;illiam T+ rant

    2oundation, *

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    Adolescent Attachment

    the conte/t o& the arent4caregi"er relationshi .ill continue to in&luence de"eloment

    outside o& this seci&ic relationshi ;Srou&e > aters, *

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    Armsden and reen1erg ;*

    Land, *

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    these se"erel% hinder eer relationshis ;Allen > Land, *

    Roo-, * Cassid%, * Land, *

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    Adolescent Attachment

    ith the onset o& adolescence, indi"iduals ha"e reached a le"el o& cogniti"e

    de"eloment ad"anced enough that the% ma% generali9e &rom their ast relationshis and

    use a1stract thin-ing rocesses to allo. one model o& attachment organi9ation to emerge

    &rom their ast e/eriences ;Allen > Land, *

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    Adolescent Attachment

    6e&ore it is ossi1le to anal%9e the connections 1et.een attachment and school

     er&ormance in adolescence, it is necessar% to &urther clari&% the construct o& adolescent

    attachment and ho. this construct a&&ects teenagers in the classroom en"ironment+ As

    adolescents transition to the &ormal oerations stage o& cogniti"e de"eloment,

    indi"iduals ma% 1egin to anal%9e all o& their relationshis ;&or e/amle, those .ith eers

    or teachers= and ma% e"en alter their internal .or-ing models ;Allen > Land, *

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    teachers+ That is, 6o.l1% ;* Sceer%, *

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     ersonal organi9ation o& attachment relationshis in general 1ecomes the crucial de&ining

    asect o& attachment+

    0t is ossi1le that attachment organi9ation is onl% meaning&ul in the conte/t o& an

    attachment relationshi ;Allen > Land, *

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    Adolescent Attachment

    academic er&ormance, as children are distracted &rom their studies 1% interersonal

     ro1lems+

    An increasing 1od% o& research suggests that arental relationshi &actors are

    correlated .ith ro1lems in the school setting+ At age &our, children .ho disla% high

    le"els o& mother4child a&&ect and intimac% are rated 1% teachers as ha"ing greater

    academic cometenc%, 1etter .or- ha1its, and &e.er 1eha"ior ro1lems in the classroom+

    2urthermore, mother4child d%ads e/hi1iting more ositi"e maternal 3ualities o&

    interaction ha"e children .ith &e.er 1eha"ior ro1lems and re&erred .or- ha1its

    ;Pianta, Nimet9, > 6ennett, *

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    Adolescent Attachment

    As children rogress through elementar% school, the imortance o& a secure

    attachment in contri1uting to scholastic achie"ement does not diminish? children at age

    se"en .ho ha"e secure arental attachments as assessed 1% resonses to searation

    stories and o1ser"ations ha"e 1etter cogniti"e er&ormance, a trend .hich continues

    through adolescence ;!aco1sen, Edelstein, > Ho&mann, *

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    Adolescent Attachment

    et al+, ()))=, .hich could account &or the imact o& securit% on eer relationshis+

    Parental relationshi 3ualities, such as mother4child a&&ect and intimac%, are also

    correlated .ith eer social s-ills in reschoolers ;Pianta et al+, * Fleac, * Mar-ie.ic9, *

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    Sceer%, * 6uhs, *

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    Conse3uentl%, it ma% 1e concluded that school er&ormance during adolescence is

    connected to asects o& teenagers5 eer relationshis and social s-ills+

    Although much research has 1een conducted on the relationshi 1et.een

    attachment and eer relations, as .ell as each "aria1le5s connection to school

     er&ormance, the relationshis among these three &actors ha"e not 1een thoroughl%

    e/lored in adolescence+ Moreo"er, the use o& a .ide range o& school ad#ustment

    measures, including sel&4, eer4, and school4reorted "aria1les, to assess academic

     er&ormance in the teenage %ears has not 1een emlo%ed .hen in"estigating connections

    to 1oth attachment and eer relations+ The stud% o& mediators 1et.een attachment and

    school outcomes is lac-ing? it has 1een suggested that this relationshi could 1e mediated

     1% a child5s 1eha"ioral sel&4restraint ;2eldman > ent9el, *

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    Adolescent Attachment

    B+ 0s there an% e"idence o& mediated e&&ects o& eer relationsG

    + 0s there an interaction 1et.een ercei"ed attachment to arents and to &riends

    in redicting school successG

    0t is h%othesi9ed that attachment ercetions and organi9ation .ill correlate .ith

    teenagers5 ercetions o& their academic en"ironment, as .ell as their actual success in

    school+ Secure attachment organi9ation is also redicted to correlate .ith the resence o& 

    social suort and eer relationshis+ Positi"e eer relationshi &actors are h%othesi9ed

    to redict greater satis&action .ith and er&ormance in school+ Although 1oth attachment

    and eer relationshis should indeendentl% relate to academic "aria1les, .ith the most

    secure adolescents as .ell as those .ith reorts o& social accetance er&orming at the

    highest le"el in school, academic outcomes .ill 1e e/lained 1est 1% a model ta-ing into

    account 1oth attachment and eer relations+

    Method

    Particiants

    One hundred and si/t%4si/ ninth and tenth grade students ;@< male, 77 &emale=

     articiated in this stud%+ $on entering the stud%, adolescents ranged in age &rom *B to

    *@+7 %ears .ith a mean o& *+< %ears ;SD )+@=+ The sel&4identi&ied racialIethnic

     1ac-ground o& the samle .as

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    uon the resence o& at least one o& &our ossi1le academic ris- &actors: *= &ailing a single

    course &or at least a single mar-ing eriod, (= an% histor% o& grade retention, = ten or

    more a1sences in one mar-ing eriod, or B= an% histor% o& school susension+ These

     1road selection criteria .ere used to include a .ide range o& adolescents .ho could 1e

    identi&ied &rom academic records as ha"ing the otential &or &uture academic and social

    di&&iculties, including adolescents alread% e/eriencing serious di&&iculties and those .ho

    .ere er&orming ade3uatel% .ith onl% occasional, minor ro1lems+ As intended, these

    criteria identi&ied aro/imatel% one4hal& o& all ninth and tenth grade students as eligi1le

    &or the stud%+

    Each teenager .as as-ed to name se"eral &riends .ho -ne. him or her .ell to

     articiate in a eer inter"ie.+ Si/t%4one male ;B7+J= and si/t%4eight &emale ;(+7J=

     eers .ere inter"ie.ed+ The a"erage age o& eers articiating .as *8+B %ears ;SD *+B

    %ears=+ Se"ent%4three ;8+8J= o& the eers .ere Euroean American, &i&t% ;@+@J= .ere

    A&rican American, and si/ ;B+7J= .ere o& another racial 1ac-ground+

    Procedure

    A&ter adolescents .ere identi&ied as meeting the criteria o& the stud%, letters

    e/laining the stud% .ere sent to the &amilies o& each otential articiant+ 0nterested

    &amilies .ere contacted 1% hone+ 0& 1oth the teenager and the arent;s= agreed to

     articiate, the% .ere scheduled &or t.o, three4hour sessions+ Aro/imatel% )J o& the

    aroached &amilies agreed to articiate+ 2amilies .ere aid a total o& K*) &or their

     articiation+ Acti"e in&ormed consent .as o1tained &rom 1oth adolescents and their

     arents+

    ()

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    Adolescent Attachment

    The teenagers articiating in the stud% .ere as-ed to ro"ide names o& u to &i"e

    &riends .ho -ne. them .ell to articiate in a eer inter"ie.+ $ to t.o o& these

    &riends .ere contacted &or an inter"ie.+ 0n cases in .hich data .ere gathered &rom t.o

     eers, their ratings o& the teenager in the stud% .ere a"eraged to create one eer "aria1le+

    Acti"e consent .as o1tained &rom 1oth eers and arents o& eers articiating in the

    stud%+ Peers .ere aid K*) to come in &or a one4hour session, during .hich the%

    comleted .ritten 3uestionnaires and used 4sort techni3ues to rate the teenager .ho had

    nominated them &or articiation in the stud%+ Data .ere collected &rom eers in sessions

    searate &rom those o& the articiating target teenagers+ Transortation and childcare

    .ere ro"ided &or all articiants as necessar%+

    Stud% articiants .ere assured that all in&ormation .ould 1e -et con&idential+

    Data .ere rotected 1% a con&identialit% certi&icate issued 1% the $nited States

    Deartment o& Health and Human Ser"ices, .hich rotected in&ormation &rom su1oena

     1% &ederal, state, and local courts+

    Measures

     Adult Attachment Interview and Q-Set (George, Kaplan, & Main, 199! Ko"a#,

    $ole, %eren-Gillie', %leming, & Gam"le, 199)*  Researchers administered this

    structured inter"ie. to ro1e indi"iduals5 descritions o& their childhood relationshis

    .ith arents, .ith re3uests &or a1stract terms as .ell as seci&ic suorting memories+

    2or instance, articiants .ere as-ed to list &i"e .ords descri1ing their earl% childhood

    relationshis, and then to descri1e seci&ic instances that re&lected each .ord+ Other

    3uestions addressed seci&ic instances o& uset, searation, loss, trauma, and re#ection+

    2inall%, inter"ie.ers as-ed articiants to ro"ide more integrati"e descritions o& the

    (*

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    changes in their relationshis .ith their arents and the current state o& these

    relationshis+ Each inter"ie. consisted o& eighteen 3uestions and lasted on a"erage one

    hour+ Slight adatations to the adult "ersion o& the attachment inter"ie. .ere made to

    ma-e the 3uestions more natural and easil% understood 1% an adolescent oulation

    ;ard > Carlson, *

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    reorted e/eriences, and lac- o& e"idence &or "aluing attachment? and deactivating

    ver'u' hperactivating 'trategie', reresenting the o"erall 1alance o& dismissing and

     reoccuied st%les+ Fo1a- et al+ ;*

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    ;alienation=+ Cron1ach alhas measuring internal consistenc% &or the three su1scales

    .ere +

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    create a single rating &or each scale+ The untrained adolescent raters roduced ratings that

    correlated .ith each other surrisingl% .ell ;Searman46ro.n r )+8=, and the resulting

    scale had good internal consistenc% ;Cron1ach5s )+@B=+

     Annual 3eighted G/A*  Scholastic records .ere o1tained &rom the articiating

    teenagers5 schools+ Each student5s grade oint a"erage &or the &ull %ear .as comuted,

    ad#usting &or an% aliedIsecial or ad"ancedIhonors courses the articiants .ere ta-ing+

    Ad"ancedIhonors courses .ere a.arded an e/tra oint in the PA comutation, .hereas

    aliedIsecial courses .ere gi"en a hal& o& a oint deduction+

    rades .ere also ad#usted so that the num1er o& credits a.arded 1% the school &or 

    each course ;+, *= .as ta-en into consideration+ All classes, not siml% the core

    classes o& English, science, social studies, and math, .ere included in the PA

    comutation+

    School 4i'#*  A summar% school ris- "aria1le .as created to account &or

    discilinar% action ta-en against articiating teenagers+ To &orm the "aria1le, the

    num1er o& times the teenager had 1een susended, the num1er o& times the teenager had

     1een e/elled, and .hether or not the teenager had droed out o& school .ere ta-en into

    account+ This in&ormation .as o1tained directl% &rom the teenagers5 schools+ The

    categorical school ris- "aria1le ranged &rom 9ero ;lo. school ris-= to &i"e ;high school

    ris-=+ 2or a teenager to recei"e a score o& 9ero on the school ris- "aria1le, he or she must

    ha"e ne"er 1een susended+ School ris- "alues o& one to &our .ere recei"ed 1% teenagers

    .ith "ar%ing num1ers o& susensions, .ith le"el one teenagers 1eing susended one or

    t.o times, le"el t.o teenagers susended three to &i"e times, le"el three teenagers

    susended si/ to ten times, and le"el &our teenagers susended ele"en or more times+ A

    (

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    le"el &i"e school ris- .as assigned to teenagers .ho had 1een e/elled &rom school at

    an% oint during their education or had droed out o& school+

    +otal Attachment to School* A measure o& attitudes to.ards school .as adoted

    &rom the ualit% o& School Li&e Scale ;SL= 1% Estein and McPartland ;*

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    Adolescent Attachment

    Results

    Preliminar% Anal%ses

     5emographic .actor'*  Means and standard de"iations o& all demograhic &actors

    are resented in Ta1le *+ Correlations .ere run 1et.een redictor "aria1les and the

    outcome "aria1les &or the &ull samle ;Ta1les (, , and B=+

    Ta1le *

    Demograhic "aria1les &or target teenagers and eers

    Teenagers PeersAge ;in %ears=  Mean  ;SD=

    *+<+@

    *8+B*+B

    ender   Male  2emale

    +8JB8+BJ

    B7+J(+7J

    RaceIEthnicit%  Euroean American  A&rican American  Other 

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    Adolescent Attachment

    Correlational anal%ses o& attachment and school &actors

    0+ Attachment organi9ation as measured 1% the Adult Attachment 0nter"ie. correlated.ith school &actors

    Attachment

    Annualeighted PA

    ScholasticCometence

    School Ris- Attachment toSchool

      Secure +( +*) 4+( +*(

      Preoccuied 4+)7 4+*

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    Adolescent Attachment

    Correlational anal%ses o& attachment and eer relationshi &actors

    0+ Attachment organi9ation as measured 1% the Adult Attachment 0nter"ie. correlated.ith eer relationshi &actors

    Attachment

    Attachmentto 2riends

    SocialAccetance

    SocialAccetance;eer reort=

    Close2riendshi

    Close2riendshi

    ;eer reort=

      Secure +(* +*B +*@ +(* +*B

      Preoccuied 4+( 4+** 4+)@ 4+*8 +)

     Note: Q+))*, Q+)*, Q+), Q+*)+

    00+ Percetion o& attachment to one5s mother as measured 1% the 0n"entor% o& Parent andPeer Attachment correlated .ith eer relationshi &actors

    Attachment

    Attachmentto 2riends

    SocialAccetance

    SocialAccetance;eer reort=

    Close2riendshi

    Close2riendshi

    ;eer reort=

      Maternal +(7 +(( +*B +(7 +**

     Note: Q+))*, Q+)*, Q+), Q+*)+

    Ta1le B

    (

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    Adolescent Attachment

    Correlational anal%ses o& eer relationshi and school &actors

    Annualeighted PA

    ScholasticCometence

    School Ris- Attachment toSchool

    Attachment to

    2riends+)@ +) 4+( +

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    regression models .ere run .ith eer &actors used to e/amine the "ariance in academic

     er&ormance 1e%ond that e/lained 1% the demograhic "aria1les+ All regressions .ere

    run to control &or articiants5 gender, race, and total &amil% income? "er% &e. trends and

    signi&icant correlations 1ecame nonsigni&icant a&ter accounting &or these &actors+ Results

    &rom these regression anal%ses are resented .ith the main result data+

    As mediator e&&ects .ere also h%othesi9ed, searate regression anal%ses .ere run

    to in"estigate the role o& eer relationshi &actors as mediators o& the relationshi

     1et.een attachment and school "aria1les+

    0n the &inal set o& anal%ses, interaction terms o& attachment .ith eer "aria1les

    .ere entered into hierarchical regression models to determine their contri1ution in

     redicting school success+

     Adole'cent attachment and 'chool .actor'*  0n the &irst set o& anal%ses,

    adolescents5 ercetions o& attachment and organi9ation o& attachment .ere in"estigated

    as redictors o& academic "aria1les+ Attachment .as regressed on the school &actors+

    6e%ond the e&&ects o& the demograhic "aria1les, a trend to.ards a main e&&ect .as &ound

    &or adolescents5 secure attachment organi9ation and school ris- ; 4+*, Q +*)=,

    iml%ing that a secure attachment some.hat accounts &or lo.ered school ris-+ A

    signi&icant main e&&ect .as &ound &or reoccuied attachment organi9ation and eer4

    reorted scholastic cometence ; 4+(, Q +)*=, such that lo.ered scholastic

    cometence .as redicted 1% reoccuied attachment+ 2inall%, ercetions o& attachment

    to the adolescent5s mother .ere related to school ris- ; 4+*7, Q +)= and attachment to

    school ; +((, Q +)=+ There&ore, those adolescents .ho ercei"ed greater attachment

    to their mothers had stronger attachments to school and a lessened li-elihood o& 1eing

    *

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    susended, e/elled, or droing out o& school+ Regression anal%ses o& the attachment

    and school &actors are resented in Ta1les and 8+

    (

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    Adolescent Attachment

    Ta1le

    Hierarchical regression anal%ses o& attachment organi9ation as measured 1% the Adult Attachment 0nter"ie. redicting academic

    &unctioning a&ter accounting &or gender, race, and total &amil% income

      Predictors

    Annual eighted PA

      R UR

    Scholastic Cometence

    R UR

    School Ris- 

      R UR

    Attachment to School

      R UR

    0:ender 

      Race  0ncome

    00:  Securit%000:  Preoccuation

    +)* V V +)@ V V 4+(7 V V +)* V V+( V V +)* V V 4+) V V +)< V V

    +B V V 4+** V V 4+(* V V 4+)7 V VV +(7 +(7 V +)( +)( V +*( +*( V +)* +)*

    +)7 +(7 ) +* +) +)* 4+* +) +)* +* +)( +)*

    4+*) +(@ +)* 4+( +)@ +)8 +** +* +)* 4+) +)* )

     Note: Q+))*, Q+)*, Q+), Q+*)+ .eights are &rom "aria1les5 &irst entr% into model+

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    Ta1le 8

    Hierarchical regression anal%ses o& ercetion o& attachment to one5s mother as measured 1% the 0n"entor% o& Parent and Peer

    Attachment redicting academic &unctioning a&ter accounting &or gender, race, and total &amil% income

      Predictors

    Annual eighted PA

      R UR

    Scholastic Cometence

    R UR

    School Ris- 

      R UR

    Attachment to School

      R UR

    0:ender 

      Race  0ncome

    00:  Percetion o&

    MaternalAttachment

    +) V V +)< V V 4+(7 V V +)( V V+( V V +)B V V 4+)* V V +*) V V

    + V V 4+*) V V 4+(( V V 4+)8 V VV +( +( V +)( +)( V +** +** V +)* +)*

    +)8 +(8 +)* +)7 +)( ) 4+*7 +*B +) +(( +) +)B

     Note: Q+))*, Q+)*, Q+), Q+*)+ .eights are &rom "aria1les5 &irst entr% into model+

    B

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     Adole'cent'6 attachment and relation' to peer'* 0n the ne/t set o& anal%ses,

    adolescents5 attachment ercetions and organi9ations .ere e/amined as redictors o&

     eer relationshi 3ualit%+ Adolescents5 eer relationshis ;attachment to &riends, social

    accetance, and close &riendshis= .ere regressed on adolescent attachment in searate

    regression e3uations+ A&ter accounting &or the e&&ects o& the demograhic "aria1les, main

    e&&ects .ere &ound &or secure attachment organi9ation as a redictor o& sel&4reorted

    social accetance ; +*@, Q +)=, eer4reorted social accetance ; +(

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    Ta1le 7

    Hierarchical regression anal%ses o& attachment organi9ation as measured 1% the Adult Attachment 0nter"ie. redicting eer

    relationshi &actors a&ter accounting &or gender, race, and total &amil% income

      Predictors

    Attachment to 2riends

      R UR

    Social Accetance

      R UR

    Social

     Accetance;eer reort=

      R UR

    Close 2riendshi

      R UR

    Close 2riendshi

    ;eer reort=

      R UR

    0:  ender   Race  0ncome

    00:  Securit%000:  Preoccuation

    +(* V V +)8 V V +*( V V +* V V +(B V V4+) V V 4+)7 V V 4+)7 V V +) V V +)7 V V+*( V V 4+) V V 4+*@ V V +) V V 4+)@ V VV +) +) V +)( +)( V +)8 +)8 V +) +) V +)7 +)7

    +* +)7 +)( +*@ +)B +)( +(

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    Ta1le @

    Hierarchical regression anal%ses o& ercetion o& attachment to one5s mother as measured 1% the 0n"entor% o& Parent and Peer

    Attachment redicting eer relationshi &actors

      Predictors

    Attachment to 2riends

      R UR

    Social Accetance

      R UR

    Social

     Accetance;eer reort=

      R UR

    Close 2riendshi

      R UR

    Close 2riendshi

    ;eer reort=

      R UR

    0:  ender   Race  0ncome

    00:  Percetion o&   Maternal  Attachment

    +( V V +) V V +*) V V +* V V +(8 V V4+)B V V 4+) V V 4+)B V V +)* V V +)< V V+*8 V V 4+)8 V V 4+*7 V V +)( V V 4+*) V VV +)7 +)7 V +)* +)* V +)B +)B V +)( +)( V +)@ +)@

    +) +* +)@ +(* +) +)B +* +)7 +) +(

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    Adolescent Attachment

     Adole'cent'6 peer relation'hip' and academic .actor'*  Adolescents5 eer

    relationshis .ere e/amined as redictors o& school &actors in the third set o& anal%ses+

    The academic &actors in"estigated .ere PA, eer4reorted scholastic cometence,

    school ris-, and attachment to school+ School &actors .ere regressed on eer

    relationshis+ A&ter accounting &or demograhic "aria1les, se"eral main e&&ects reached

    signi&icance+ These main e&&ects in"ol"ed attachment to &riends and school ris- ; 4+(8,

      Q +)=, attachment to &riends and scholastic cometence ; +)

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    Ta1le <

    Hierarchical regressions redicting school &actors &rom eer &actors a&ter accounting &or gender, race, and total &amil% income

      Predictors

    Annual eighted PA

      R UR

    Scholastic Cometence

    R UR

    School Ris- 

      R UR

    Attachment to School

      R UR

    0: ender   Race  0ncome

    00:  Attachment to

    2riends

    +)( V V +** V V 4+*7 V V +) V V+*8 V V 4+)* V V +) V V +)8 V V+ V V 4+** V V 4+B V V 4+( V VV +() +() V +)( +)( V +*( +*( V +) +)

    +)8 +() ) +)

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    Adolescent Attachment

    Ta1le < ;continued=

      Predictors

    Annual eighted PA

      R UR

    Scholastic Cometence

    R UR

    School Ris- 

      R UR

    Attachment to School

      R UR

    0:ender 

      Race

      0ncome

    00:  Social Accetance

    ;eer reort=000:  Close 2riendshi  ;eer reort=

    +) V V +*) V V 4+( V V +)B V V+(B V V +) V V 4+)@ V V +*( V V

    +(7 V V 4+** V V 4+* V V 4+* V VV +() +() V +)( +)( V +* +* V +)( +)(

    +)8 +() ) +*8 +) +) +)8 +* ) 4+)( +)( )

    +*7 +( +) +( +** +)

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    Adolescent Attachment

     /eer relation'hip' a' a mediator "etween attachment and 'chool .actor'*  0n a

    series o& anal%ses, attachment to eers and the resence o& close &riendshis .ere

    e/amined as mediating the connection 1et.een attachment organi9ation and school

    "aria1les ;1oth school ris- and eer4reorted scholastic cometence=+ According to

    6aron and Fenn% ;*

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    Ta1le *)

    Anal%ses o& eer relationshi "aria1les as mediators o& the connection 1et.een

    attachment and school "aria1les using 6aron and Fenn% tests

    Attachmentand School

    Attachmentand Peers

    Peers andSchool

    Change inRegressionG

    E"idence o& a Mediated

    E&&ectG

     Attachment Mea'ure:  Secure AA0School Mea'ure:School Ris- 

     /eer Mea'ure:Peer Attachment

    4+( +(* 4+( Not

    signi&icantWes

     Attachment Mea'ure:  Secure AA0School Mea'ure:School Ris- 

     /eer Mea'ure:Close 2riendshi

      ;eer reort=

    4+( +(* 4+() 4+((Wes,

    although.ea- 

     Attachment Mea'ure:  Preoccuied AA0School Mea'ure:Scholastic

    Cometence  ;eer reort= /eer Mea'ure:

    Close 2riendshi  ;sel&4reort=

    4+*

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     Interaction' o. attachment and peer relation'hip'*  Adolescents5 ercetions o&

    attachment to mothers and to eers .ere in"estigated to e/amine .hether the% might

    interact to redict total attachment to school+ A signi&icant interaction .as &ound ; +

    (, Q +)= and is deicted in 2igure *+ The lo.est attachment to school .as &ound &or

    teenagers .ho had ercetions o& high attachment to mothers and lo. attachment to

     eers+ Slightl% greater, %et still lo., attachment to school .as &ound &or adolescents .ith

     ercetions o& 1oth lo. attachment to mothers and to eers+ This grou .as relati"el%

    close on le"el o& attachment to school to those teenagers .ith lo. maternal attachment

    and high eer attachment+ Comarati"el% high le"els o& attachment to school .ere &ound

    &or adolescents .ith high ercetions o& attachment to mothers and to eers+

    BB

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    2igure *

    0nteraction 1et.een ercetion o& attachment to one5s mother and ercetion o&

    attachment to eers resulting in "ar%ing le"els o& total attachment to school

    O"erall, the data collected in this stud% suggest three redicti"e relationshis: *=

    attachment redicting school er&ormance, (= attachment redicting eer relationshis,

    and = eer relationshis redicting school er&ormance+ 6oth ercetions o& maternal

    attachment and attachment organi9ation redicted academic &actors+ Li-e.ise, regression

    e3uations suort that 1oth ercetions o& secure maternal attachment and secure

    attachment organi9ation redict greater eer relationshis+ Additionall%, greater eer

    relationshis redicted more ositi"e school outcomes+ Some e"idence o& ercei"ed eer 

    attachment ser"ing as a mediator 1et.een secure attachment organi9ation and school ris-

    .as &ound, 1ut onl% .hen demograhic in&luences .ere not considered in the models+

    Also suorted .as a signi&icant interaction 1et.een ercetions o& attachment to one5s

    mother and to eers resulting in "ar%ing le"els o& attachment to school+

    4*

    4)+C

    )

    )+C

    *

    4( 4* ) * (

    Percetion o& Attachment to Peers

       A   t   t  a  c

       h  m  e  n   t   t  o   S  c   h  o  o   l

    Percetion o& Lo.Maternal Attachment

    Percetion o& High

     Maternal Attachment

    B

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    Discussion

    This stud% ro"ides e"idence &or the indeendent lin-s 1et.een adolescent

    attachment, eer relationshis, and school &actors, .hile also ro"iding suort &or the

     ossi1ilit% o& eer relationshis ser"ing as a mediator 1et.een attachment and school

    "aria1les+ An interaction among these three domains is also suorted, .ith "ar%ing

    le"els o& ercei"ed attachment to one5s mother and ercei"ed attachment to eers

     redicting attachment to school+

    Connections 1et.een attachment and school er&ormance .ere h%othesi9ed, and

    data &rom this stud% suggest that such relationshis e/ist+ Attachment organi9ation

     redicted se"eral di&&erent asects o& school success, as adolescents .ith secure

    attachment organi9ations .ere less li-el% to encounter discilinar% di&&iculties+ Also,

    teenagers .ith reoccuied attachment organi9ations had lo.er eer4reorted scholastic

    cometence+ Additionall%, one5s ercetion o& maternal attachment redicted less

    li-elihood o& discilinar% action+

     Not all school "aria1les could 1e redicted &rom indi"iduals5 attachment,

    ho.e"er, .ith 1oth attachment to school and PA not 1eing redicted 1% maternal

    attachment ercetions or attachment organi9ation+ This result could 1e accounted &or i&

    one assumes that teenagers5 seci&ic relationshis .ithin the academic en"ironment ;such

    as those .ith onl% their school eers and teachers= most greatl% a&&ect satis&action in the

    school en"ironment+ This conclusion &ollo.s &rom the assumtion that ercetions o&

    attachment .ith arents and eers and attachment organi9ation do not necessaril%

    reresent teenagers5 general relationshi 3ualit%+ Ho.e"er, attachment theor% redicts

    B8

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    that attachment organi9ation should a&&ect one5s internal model o& all relationshis, so this

    &inding remains some.hat surrising+

    The lac- o& suort &or PA 1eing redicted 1% attachment "aria1les can 1e

    e/lained, though, 1% this stud%5s omission o& an anal%sis o& certain &actors intuiti"el%

    related to scholastic er&ormance+ 2or e/amle, teenagers5 0, the 3ualit% o& the school

    and home en"ironments, and additional &amil% &actors such as arent emhasis on

    education .ere not in"estigated+ These &actors5 relationshi to academic achie"ement

    should 1e considered in &uture studies+ Additional .or- could also stud% attachment and

    school er&ormance .hile controlling &or these additional &actors, erhas allo.ing a

    closer relationshi 1et.een attachment and school er&ormance to 1e &ound+

    0n the anal%ses o& attachment organi9ation and eer &actors, secure and

     reoccuied attachments redicted se"eral eer relationshi "aria1les+ As h%othesi9ed,

    adolescents .ith more secure attachment organi9ations .ere ercei"ed 1% themsel"es and

    their &riends to ha"e high le"els o& eer grou accetance+ This &inding is congruent .ith

    attachment theor%, as those indi"iduals .ith secure attachment organi9ations should ha"e

    an internal .or-ing model that allo.s them to &oster the de"eloment o& ositi"e

    relationshis .ith others+ Teenagers .ith reoccuied attachment organi9ations .ere less

    li-el% to reort ha"ing a close &riendshi, also as redicted 1% attachment theor%, as an

    insecure internal .or-ing model should ma-e close interersonal relationshis 1oth

    harder to de"elo and more di&&icult to ercei"e in one5s en"ironment ;Allen et al+, *

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    &riendshis+ There&ore, a reoccuied attachment organi9ation, .hich is indicati"e o& an

    insecure internal .or-ing model, .as most closel% associated .ith sel&4ercetions o&

    close &riendshis+ As attachment organi9ation should 1e most closel% associated .ith

    attachment4li-e, or close, relationshis, relationshis .ith close &riends rather than the

     eer grou as a .hole .ould 1e e/ected to 1e more directl% related to insecure .or-ing

    models+ This stud%5s &indings suort this assertion+

    Percetions o& attachment .ere li-e.ise redicti"e o& teenagers5 3ualit% o& eer

    relationshis+ Attachment ercetions .ere most strongl% lin-ed .ith sel&4reorted social

    accetance and close &riendshis+ 0t is ossi1le that indi"iduals5 tendencies to "ie. the

    .orld in either a ositi"e or negati"e light contri1uted to these results+ Ha"ing &ound that

    teenagers5 sel&4reorts o& attachment and sel&4reorts o& eer measures correlate ma% 1e

    due to reorter 1ias e&&ects+ Ho.e"er, trends .ere noted &or ercetions o& attachment

     redicting eer4reorted social accetance and the resence o& a close &riendshi+ These

    trends suggest that sel&4ercetions o& attachment ma% 1e related to teenagers5 eer

    relationshis a1o"e and 1e%ond the e&&ect due to all measures coming &rom the same

    reorter+ Perhas i& &uture studies utili9e other measures o& social accetance and close

    &riendshi, such as o1ser"ational reorts, the discreanc% 1et.een sel&4 and eer4

    reorted data .ould 1e resol"ed, and the lin-age 1et.een ercetions o& attachment and

     eer relationshi 3ualit% could 1e clari&ied+

    Sel&4 and eer4reorted eer relationshi 3ualit% .ere also &ound to relate to

    academic &actors, redicting a .ide range o& school outcomes+ Teenagers5 sel&4reorted

    attachment to their &riends redicted ho. &re3uentl% teenagers had disciline ro1lems as

    .ell as adolescents5 attachment to school+ Lo. le"els o& disciline ro1lems .ere

    B@

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    additionall% redicted 1% teenagers5 reorts o& close &riendshis+ These &indings suggest

    that ha"ing a close &riend ma% ser"e as a rotecti"e &actor against school disciline

     ro1lems, as those teenagers .ho 1elie"e the% ha"e a relia1le &riend ma% 1e less li-el% to

    act out in the classroom or su1mit to negati"e eer ressure, actions that ma% result in

    school susensions or e/ulsions+ Also, eer4reorted close &riendshis .ere redicti"e

    o& eer4reorted scholastic cometence as .ell as students5 PA, as .as h%othesi9ed+

    This &inding suorts the assertion that students doing .ell in school are more li-el% to

    ha"e a close &riend+

    As onl% trends .ere noted &or social accetance "aria1les, accetance 1% one5s

     eer grou .as not an imortant eer redicti"e &actor &or scholastic success+ Perhas

    this is 1ecause adolescents ma% need onl% one good &riendshi to rotect them &rom lo.

    scholastic er&ormance and dissatis&action .ith school, rather than .ide eer accetance+

    The results could also 1e accounted &or 1% the "ar%ing in&luences o& eer grous? 1oth

     ositi"e and negati"e eer ressure ma% in&luence school er&ormance, .ith the negati"e

    e&&ects o& 1eing close to one5s eer grou o&&setting the ositi"e e&&ects &or some

    teenagers+

    Regression anal%ses suggest that eer relationshi &actors ma% ser"e as mediators

     1et.een attachment and school "aria1les in a coule seci&ic instances+ 0t is onl% .hen

    attachment organi9ation is used that mediated e&&ects .ere &ound, suggesting that securit%

    o& attachment organi9ation, not ercetions o& attachment, is crucial in the mediator

    relationshi+ 2urthermore, signi&icant mediated e&&ects onl% occur .hen gender, race, and

    total &amil% income are not entered into the regression e3uations, as these demograhic

    "aria1les are signi&icantl% con&ounded .ith the mediated relationshis+ $nder these

    B

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    conditions, the connection 1et.een secure attachment and lo.er le"els o& disciline

     ro1lems is mediated 1% ercetions o& eer attachment+ That is, the relationshi

     1et.een securit% and school outcomes 1ecomes nonsigni&icant once the e&&ect o&

    teenagers5 attachment to their eers is considered+ The relationshi 1et.een securit% and

    discilinar% action is also .ea-l% mediated 1% eer reorts o& close &riendshis+ Hence,

    although onl% t.o mediated e&&ects .ere &ound, data do suggest that in some seci&ic

    situations, eer relationshi 3ualit% ma% act as a mediator &or the relationshi 1et.een

    attachment and school outcomes+

    An alternati"e e/lanation &or the resence o& onl% t.o mediated e&&ects is that

     erhas, in general, eer relationshis do not ser"e as a mediator &or the connection

     1et.een attachment and school &actors+ 0t is ossi1le that one iece o& the attachment

    construct redicts eer relationshi 3ualit%, another iece o& the attachment construct

     redicts school outcomes, and that these t.o ieces o& attachment are non4o"erlaing

    asects o& the construct+ This .ould account &or the lac- o& mediated e&&ects &or all o& the

    controlled relationshis in"estigated and .ould e/lain the indeendent connections

     1et.een the three constructs ;attachment, eer relationshis, and school outcomes= 1eing

    in"estigated+

    One &inal relationshi 1et.een the three constructs .as &ound? an interaction .as

    suorted .ith ercei"ed attachment to mothers and ercei"ed attachment to eers

     redicting students5 satis&action .ith school, commitment to class .or-, and reactions to

    their teachers+ High ercei"ed attachment to mothers and lo. ercei"ed attachment to

     eers redicted the lo.est attachment to school+ This result suggests that adolescents can

     1e di"ided into distinct grous 1ased on ercei"ed maternal and eer attachment, and that

    )

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    these grous ha"e "ar%ing le"els o& school attachment+ There is a grou o& teenagers .ho

    are haiest at home, &eeling a strong connection to their mothers and %et, 1ecause o& not

    &eeling connected to their eers, are struggling in the school en"ironment+ That is, the

    data suggest that adolescents .ith high le"els o& ercei"ed attachment to arents and

     eers are li-el% to 1e satis&ied .ith school, e/cet in cases .here high le"els o& ercei"ed

    attachment to one5s mother are not 1alanced 1% high le"els o& ercei"ed attachment to

     eers+ 2or most adolescents, though, the greater the ercei"ed attachment to one5s

    mother and eers, the higher the le"el o& attachment to school, as .as h%othesi9ed+ 2or

    all teenagers, higher ercei"ed attachment to eers redicted a greater connection to

    school? it seems that the e&&ect o& high ercei"ed attachment "aries onl% &or teenagers5

     ercei"ed maternal attachment+

    One interesting conclusion &rom these mediator and moderator results has to do

    .ith the di&&erences in the &indings in"estigating attachment ercetions and attachment

    organi9ation+ Although the lin-s 1et.een attachment and eers as .ell as those 1et.een

    attachment and school .ere e"ident .hen using 1oth the 0PPA and AA0, this .as not the

    case &or the mediated and moderated relationshis+ 2indings o& this stud% suort eer

    relationshis ser"ing as a mediator 1et.een attachment organi9ation and school

    measures+ No such relationshis .ere &ound &or ercetions o& attachment+ This ma% 1e

    a result o& attachment organi9ation unconsciousl% a&&ecting eer relationshis, .hich in

    turn ma% redict school success+ hate"er its cause, siml% ercei"ing that one5s

    relationshi .ith attachment &igures is secure is not su&&icient to &oster eer relationshis

    and their resulting ositi"e e&&ects on academic li&e+ Similarl%, a ercetion o& a negati"e

    *

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     arental relationshi ma% not 1e damaging to eer relations and school li&e i& one can

    re&lect on these e/eriences coherentl%, hence &orming a secure attachment organi9ation+

    Although attachment organi9ation ma% 1e crucial in disco"ering mediated

    relationshis, it is also lausi1le that the lac- o& mediators &ound in the in"estigation o&

    attachment ercetions could 1e indicati"e o& a lac- o& true eer mediators+ 0t is ossi1le

    that some other "aria1le is mediating the connection 1et.een home li&e and scholastic

     er&ormance, and that the &e. cases in .hich mediated relationshis .ere &ound .ere

    siml% due to this other association+ Hence, the need &or &urther .or- in this area is

    e"ident+

    E"en though attachment organi9ation could 1e used as a redictor "aria1le in

    signi&icant mediated relationshis, it .as onl% ercetions o& attachment that .ere &ound

    to interact .ith eer &actors to roduce "ar%ing le"els o& attachment to school+ This is

    e"idence that it is teenagers5 "ie. o& their relationshis, rather than actual attachment

    organi9ation, that is necessar% in the moderated relationshi among arent4child relations,

     eer relations, and school attachment+ That is, the teenagers .ho &eel the lo.est

    attachment to school ma% onl% ercei"e ositi"e relationshis .ith their mothers and

     oor relationshis .ith their eers? ho.e"er, these ercetions do a&&ect their actual

    satis&action .ith school+

    There are se"eral imlications o& the &indings o& this stud%+ The lac- o& strong

    e"idence &or the mediating or moderating role o& all o& the eer relationshi &actors

    in"estigated suggests that there could 1e other &acets o& the eer relationshi not

    in"estigated in this stud% that ma% e/lain connections 1et.een attachment and school

    &actors+ 0t is also ossi1le that some &actor that is not related to adolescents5 eer

    (

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    relations could ser"e as a rimar% mediator or moderator 1et.een attachment and school

    outcomes+ 2or e/amle, teacher4child relationshis, arenting st%le, and 3ualit% o& the

    home en"ironment could 1e studied in the &uture, clari&%ing these &actors5 roles in lin-ing

     arent4child relationshis to adolescents5 school satis&action and er&ormance+

    Also, this stud% has a &e. inconsistencies in its &indings, articularl%

    discreancies among the data &rom di&&erent reorters and among the di&&erent measures

    o& eer and school constructs ;that is, eer attachment, social accetance, and the

     resence o& a close &riendshi? and PA, scholastic cometence, school ris-, and

    attachment to school=+ The inconsistencies across reorters suggests the need &or

    o1ser"ational eer and school data, or teacher reorts rather than sel&4 and eer4reorted

    ratings+ 2urthermore, &uture directions o& research ma% in"estigate .h% certain &actors

    .ithin the eer and school constructs .ere 1etter redictor, mediator, and moderator

    "aria1les+

    There are also some limitations o& this stud%5s design that re3uire attention+ 2irst,

    the a1ilit% to generali9e &indings &rom the samle is in 3uestion+ A grou o& academicall%

    at4ris- teenagers .ere recruited as stud% articiants+ 0t is unclear .hether the lin-s

     1et.een the three constructs, as .ell as the mediated and moderated e&&ects &ound in this

    stud%, .ould hold .ith a more inclusi"e adolescent oulation+ Ho.e"er, the use o& the

    limited samle .as 1ene&icial in some resects, as it allo.ed &or data collection &rom a

    samle o& indi"iduals .ith a .ide range o& scholastic di&&iculties, heling to ro"ide

    meaning&ul results+ Additionall%, there .as di"ersit% in the ercetions o& attachment and

    attachment organi9ations o& the articiating teenagers .hich also allo.ed &or su&&icient

    "ariance .ithin the samle+

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    An additional limitation o& this stud% is its di&&icult% in determining theoreticall%

    meaning&ul de&initions o& eer relationshi &actors and adolescent attachment+ Close eer 

    relationshis ma% mean di&&erent things to di&&erent teenagers, and the actual structure o&

    adolescents5 &riendshis ma% "ar% greatl%+ 2urthermore, the imact o& social grous and

    indi"idual &riendshis on de"eloment "aries among teenagers, .ith some eers

    rein&orcing academicall% rosocial goals, .hile others undermining school success+

    2uture .or- ma% .ish to address these issues, as .ell as e/amine ho. in some cases

     eers ma% ser"e as attachment &igures &or one another+

    0n addition to the limitations o& the eer relationshi &actors, ro1lems also

    emerge .ith the construct o& attachment+ Adolescent attachment is an emerging area o&

    stud%+ Researchers ha"e resented di&&ering .a%s in .hich adolescent attachment ma% 1e

    concetuali9ed? &or e/amle, attachment ma% 1e de&ined as ercetions o& attachment

    .ithin adolescent relationshis ;6o.l1%, *

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    insecure relationshi+ 0n &act, 1eing a1le to re&lect on negati"e li&e e/eriences in an

    organi9ed &ashion, allo.ing &or the ac-no.ledgement o& the imact o& distur1ing

    eisodic memories, and %et integrating these memories into a coherent .hole, is

    characteristic o& securit%+ An indi"idual .ho does re&lect in this manner .ould 1e

    categori9ed as ha"ing a secure attachment organi9ation 1% the AA0, and %et .ould 1e lo.

    on securit% according to the 0PPA+ Li-e.ise, denial o& the imortance o& negati"e e"ents

    in one5s ast, as e"idenced 1% the resence o& negati"e eisodic memories 1ut ositi"e

    descritions o& one5s childhood, .ould result in a secure classi&ication on the 0PPA, 1ut is

    e"idence o& an insecure attachment organi9ation+ Thus, the 0PPA is not necessaril% a

    "alid measure o& attachment, 1ut rather an indicator o& "arious ercei"ed characteristics

    and 3ualities o& the arent4child relationshi+ This is the caacit% in .hich the 0PPA .as

    used in this stud% and it is there&ore crucial to recogni9e the di&&erences in results &rom

    the 0PPA "ersus the AA0+ hen in"estigating attachment organi9ation and ercetions o& 

    attachment, the di&&erences in the 0PPA and AA0 ma-e the results &rom these t.o

    attachment measures di&&icult to com1ine into one attachment construct+ 2uture stud%

    could &ocus on the area o& adolescent attachment measurement, hoe&ull% eliminating

    some o& the di&&iculties in researching this construct+

    Lastl%, there are imortant limitations in the .a% that the construct o& ositi"e

    school outcomes .as de&ined+ There are se"eral di&&erent .a%s that teenagers, arents,

    and teachers ma% concei"e adolescent school success, such as hainess in the school

    en"ironment, classroom articiation, and the o1tainment o& ad"anced degrees+ 0n this

    stud%, success in school .as de&ined in terms o& teenagers5 grades, eer4reorted success

    in school, discilinar% actions, and sel&4reorts o& connections to school+ Desite the care

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    gi"en to the selection o& these school "aria1les, it is ossi1le that these measures did not

    encomass school success in the most meaning&ul .a%+ 0& this is the case, erhas &uture

    .or- could in"estigate the additional .a%s in .hich school success can 1e de&ined, so as

    to see i& in clari&%ing the de&inition stronger results are o1tained+

    0n conclusion, desite its limitations, the resent stud% ro"ides suort &or the

    indeendent lin-s 1et.een attachment ercetions and organi9ation, eer relationshis,

    and school &actors during adolescence+ Also suorted is the ossi1le role o& eer

    relationshis as a mediator ;.hen in"estigating attachment organi9ation= or moderator

    ;.hen in"estigating ercetions o& maternal attachment=+ Additional research is

    suggested in this area, ho.e"er, so as to clari&% the imact o& additional &amil% and

    school en"ironment &actors that ma% in&luence academic achie"ement+ More recise

    concetuali9ations o& the three constructs .ould also hel &urther this area o& stud%,

    allo.ing &or greater recision in de&ining e/actl% .hat elements o& the arent4child and

     eer relationshis redict meaning&ul asects o& school success+

    A 1etter understanding o& the relationshis among attachment, eer relations, and

    school outcomes is "alua1le as it ma% ser"e to &ocus inter"entions &or academicall% at4

    ris- adolescents+ As academic success does in&luence a .ide range o& de"elomental

    outcomes, ossi1le &indings could ositi"el% a&&ect man% asects o& teenagers5 li"es+

    ith the recognition that attachment ercetions, attachment organi9ation, and eer

    relations a&&ect educational outcomes, the imortance o& de"eloing academic

    inter"entions that e/tend 1e%ond classroom scholastic instruction 1ecomes e"ident+

    Hoe&ull% the relationshis among the constructs o& attachment, eer relations, and

    school success .ill soon 1e more thoroughl% understood+ Such -no.ledge could allo.

    8

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    &or the de"eloment o& success&ul inter"ention rograms .hich, through targeting asects

    o& attachment and eer relationshis, ma% result in higher le"els o& educational and

    de"elomental success &or teenagers+

    7

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    Re&erences

    Allen, !+ P+, Moore, C+, Fuerminc, +, > 6ell, F+ ;*

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    6o.l1%, !+ ;* Mitchell, !+ ;()))=+ 4sort

    assessment o& attachment securit% during the reschool %ears: Lin-s &rom home to

    school+ De"elomental Ps%cholog%, 8;(=, (7B4(@(+

    Diehl, D+ S+, Lemerise, E+ A+, Ca"erl%, S+ L+, Ramsa%, S+, > Ro1erts, !+ ;*

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    Elic-er, !+, Englund, M+, > Srou&e, L+ A+ ;* McPartland, !+ ;* McPartland, !+ ;*

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    Harter, S+ ;* Ho&mann, '+ ;* Ho&mann, '+ ;* Fleac, L+ ;*

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    Fo1a-, R+ R+, > Sceer%, A+ ;* Ra&&aelli, M+ ;()))=+ The di&&erential relations o&

     arent and eer attachment to adolescent ad#ustment+ !ournal o& Wouth and Adolescence,

    ( old.%n, R+ ;in ress=+ Adult attachment rating and classi&ication

    s%stems+ 0n M+ Main ;Ed+=, A t%olog% o& human attachment organi9ation assessed in

    discourse, dra.ings and inter"ie.s ;.or-ing title=+ Ne. Wor-: Cam1ridge $ni"ersit%

    Press+

    Main, M+, Falan, N+, > Cassid%, !+ ;*

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     Nada Ra#a, S+, Mcee, R+, > Stanton, + R+ ;*

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    ent9el, F+ R+ ;*