Parental Bonding and Relationships with Friends and Siblings in Adolescents with Depression

Sarah Christine Fahs; Randi Ulberg; Hanne-Sofie Johnsen Dahl; Per Andreas Høglend

doi:10.3390/ijerph19116530

Parental Bonding and Relationships with Friends and Siblings in Adolescents with Depression

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 May 27;19(11):6530. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19116530.

Authors

Sarah Christine Fahs¹, Randi Ulberg^{1

2

3}, Hanne-Sofie Johnsen Dahl^{2

4}, Per Andreas Høglend¹

Affiliations

¹ Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Blindern, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1171, 0318 Oslo, Norway.
² Research Unit, Division of Mental Health, Vestfold Hospital Trust, P.O. Box 2169, 3125 Tønsberg, Norway.
³ Department of Psychiatry, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Vinderen, P.O. Box 85, 0319 Oslo, Norway.
⁴ Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Blindern, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1094, 0317 Oslo, Norway.

Abstract

According to attachment theory, the quality of the early child-parent bond determines the child's interpersonal relationships later in life. Utilising data from The First Experimental Study of Transference Work-In Teenagers (FEST-IT), the current paper investigated the connection between the self-reported quality of bonding with mother and father and the self-reported importance of relationships with friends and siblings in adolescents with depression. The scales employed were the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and the Adolescent Relationship scale (ARS). A Pearson's correlation tested the relationship between the reported levels of maternal and paternal care and control, and the reported importance of friendship and relationship with siblings. Results revealed a statistically significant negative correlation between high levels of maternal control and importance of friendship, and a statistically significant positive correlation between high levels of paternal care and importance of relationships with siblings. The results are in line with Bowlby's theory of attachment.

Keywords: adolescent relationships; friendships; parental bonding; sibling relationships.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Depression / epidemiology
Friends*
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Object Attachment
Parent-Child Relations
Siblings*

Grants and funding

This study was supported by grants from The University of Oslo, Vestfold Hospital Trust, the MRK Foundation, Josef and Haldis Andresen’s Foundation, and Solveig and Johan P. Sommer’s Foundation. Grant number: 13152525.