Examining the Relationships Between Parenting Styles and Attachment Styles in Adolescents: A Case of Garden Estate Secondary School in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Adolescence is a pivotal developmental stage and the quality of the parent-child relationship is central to this progression. The study sought to examine the relationship between parenting styles and attachment styles among adolescents at Garden Estate Secondary School in Nairobi, Kenya. Its objectives were to examine the predominant parenting styles employed by parents/guardians of adolescents, establish the attachment styles exhibited by adolescents and analyse the relationship between parenting styles and adolescent attachment styles. The study was anchored on the Attachment Theory, Parenting Styles Theory, Self Determination Theory and Ecological Systems Theory. A correlational research design was adopted, with a sample size of 265 respondents selected using stratified random sampling technique. In data collection, the Parental Style Four Figure Questionnaire (PSFFQ) was used to collect data on adolescents’ perceptions of their parents' parenting behaviors, while the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ) was used to assess respondents’ individual attachment orientations. The collected data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Authoritative parenting was the most dominant and positively cited style employed by the adolescents. Also, at 63%, secure attachment was the most dominant style endorsed by adolescents. Regarding anxious attachment styles, while most adolescents did not constantly fear loss of love, 69% reported distress when ignored, showing that anxious tendencies exist but were not as dominant as secure ones. Both authoritative and permissive parenting showed a correlation with secure attachment (r = 0.086, p = .251, r = 0.160, p = 0.032) respectively, implying a weak, positive and statistically significant relationship. Neglectful parenting on its part showed a correlation with secure attachment where r = –0.174, implying a weak, negative statistically significant relationship. The study concluded that there was a parenting landscape for adolescents where involvement and support were strongly emphasized, but often balanced with firmness and discipline, demonstrating a hybrid parenting system aligning partly with authoritative ideals while integrating authoritarianism elements. It was also concluded that authoritative parenting provides mild but protective cushion toward secure attachment, while authoritarian, permissive, and particularly neglectful parenting practice significantly heightens the chances of insecure attachments. The study recommends that Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) and Faith-Based groups should organize sensitization programs through campaigns, addressing harmful disciplinary tendencies and fostering parent–child relationships that are supportive of secure attachments. Similarly, counseling sessions should include attachment-based interventions to assist adolescents going through anxiety in parental relationships, educating both parents and their children the strategies that can be useful in enhancing responsiveness and trust. Mental health professionals should include parenting style evaluations into their adolescent counseling sessions, since family dynamics directly determine attachment and wellbeing. Schools need to strengthen guidance and counseling programs in support teenagers exhibiting anxious traits, enabling them manage insecurity feelings and building coping mechanisms.