Date of Award
Spring 2007
Project Type
Thesis
Program or Major
Counseling
Degree Name
Master of Arts
First Advisor
Janet Elizabeth Falvey
Abstract
Discussions regarding the topics of attachment and loss are ubiquitous and cannot be avoided. Losing a loved one---especially a parent---to death or divorce is difficult at any age, perhaps most difficult during the age of adolescence. Depression is a common product of such loss. A study was conducted that attempted to look at the quality of attachment between the child and primary caregiver, along with the any possible parent loss, and their implications for the prevalence of depression. Data on 170 students at a major university in the Northeast was collected. A moderately strong negative correlation existed between attachment and depression, indicating that stronger attachment bonds were positively related to lower depression scores. Parent death and divorce did not serve as mediating factors. These results have implications for the counseling field; depressive diagnoses must be considered in working with individuals reporting low attachment bonds to attachment figures.
Recommended Citation
Baker, Jason R., "Attachment bond, parental death, and parental divorce as predictive variables of depression" (2007). Master's Theses and Capstones. 39.
https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis/39