1. The Influence of Attachment on First-Year College Student
Success
Robert M. Kurland, M.A. and Harold I. Siegel, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ
Introduction Methods Results Discussion
Attachment and Transition Participants Attachment and Academic Success Academics
During major life transitions, individuals are met with Participants were undergraduate students at Individuals who were high in attachment anxiety Consistent with our hypothesis as well as with
new social and psychological challenges and Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey (N=85). performed worse academically in college as compared previous research, attachment patterns are related to
stressors that need to be traversed (Bucx & Van Approximately 25% were male and 75% were to high school (r = -.312, p = .007). academic success during the transition to college.
Wel , 2008). It is at these times that one’s attachment females. The sample was comprised of individuals Research has shown that securely attached
pattern may play an important role in these belonging to various races and ethnicities including individuals maintain higher feelings of competence on
transitions. Hispanic (25.9%), Caucasian (21.2%), Asian academic tasks, preoccupied students show more
Adult Attachment (23.5%), African-American (9.4%), Asian - Pacific anxiety about academic performance, and dismissive
There are two dimensions of attachment; anxiety Rim (8.2%), Middle Eastern (4.7%), and individuals students are less organized and unfocused as it
related to worry about being abandoned or rejected who classified themselves as other (7.1%). pertained to academic studies (Aspelmeier & Kerns,
and avoidance that is related to one’s comfort with 2003).
Methods
emotional closeness. (Brennan, Clark, & Shaver, Procedure Ethics
1998). E-mails were sent to 800 incoming freshmen who Consistent with our hypothesis, students who were
had registered university e-mail addresses. high in attachment anxiety were more likely to say
Attachment and Ethical Success
Students were invited to participate in the survey. that they would engage in unethical behavior. These
Students who scored high on attachment anxiety were
Each participant was asked to complete a individuals may feel pressure to succeed to make
more willing to cheat to get a good grade (r = .406, p = .
questionnaire. The entire survey took their parents proud and therefore may be more willing
000) and more willing to cheat to help a friend (r = .298,
approximately 30 minutes to complete. to cheat to do so. In addition more anxious students
p = .008)
tend to seek the approval of others and thus may be
Materials more willing to cheat to help another friend as they
College Student Success The participants completed surveys including: would believe that it would strengthen their
University life offers students a social environment in demographic questions, the Relationship relationships.
which they will be able to experience intellectual, Structure (RS) questionnaire (Fraley, Niedenthal, Psychological Health
moral, and social-emotional exploration and as such, Marks, Brumbaugh, & Vicary, 2006) which is used The results of this study provide support that a
there are a number of new experiences that a to measure avoidance and anxiety of attachment, relationship exists between attachment and
student will need to face including psychological, the four paragraph relationship questionnaire psychological health during the transition to college.
ethical, and academic (Reich & Siegel, 2002). (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991), a 7-point Likert Insecurely attached students report higher levels of
questionaire regarding ethical behavior (e.g., how Attachment and Psychological Success anxiety and depression during their freshman year.
Attachment and College Student Success During willing would you be to cheat to help a friend, how •Students who were high on attachment anxiety scored These indices may place the insecure students at a
the Transition to College willing would you be to cheat to get a good lower on self-esteem (r = -.427, p = .000). disadvantage as they progress through college.
Secure individuals, those with lower levels of anxiety grade), Beck’s Anxiety Inventory (Beck, Epstein, •Students who were high in attachment avoidance
and avoidance, are better prepared for academic Brown, & Steer, 1988), Beck’s Depression and/or attachment anxiety scored lower on their Future Research
(Aspelmeier & Kerns, 2003; Larose, Bernier, & Inventory (Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, & academic locus of control (r = -.397, p = .001) & (r = •Future research will examine students’ academic
Tarabulsy, 2005; Mikulincer & Shaver, 2007), Erbaugh, 1961), Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale -.310, p = .008), respectively. progress after the first semester and track the
psychological (Frey, Beesley, & Miller, 2006; Muris, (Rosenberg, 1965), and the Academic Locus of •Securely attached individuals were less anxious students through a longitudinal study and to observe
Mayer, & Meesters, 2000; Wei, Russell, & Zakalik, Control Scale (Trice, 1985). Additionally, t (1,64) = 2.383, p = .020 and less depressed other measures of academic success.
2005), and ethical (Albert & Horowitz, 2010; participants were asked to give permission to the t (1,60)= -1.693, p = .096 than insecures •As there is little research on attachment and ethical
Mikulincer & Goodman, 2006; Van Ijzendoorn & experimenter to allow access to the participants
Attachment Security and Anxiety and Depression behaviors in college, future studies will look at
Zwart-Woudstra, 1995) challenges that they will academic record (including GPA, credits 45 relationships between attachment and unethical
encounter.
Hypothesis
attempted/earned, choice of major, high school
G.P.A., and SAT scores.
40 * academic college behavior (e.g., cheating,
35 plagiarism).
Students’ attachment patterns will influence their
secure
academic, psychological, and ethical success during 30
insecure
their transition to college. 25
20
15
anxiety depression