Parental Engagement, Adult Attachment, and Psychological Well-Being Among Post-Covid College Students

The current study examines relations between the attachment security college students feel with their parents and peers, parent involvement, commitment to self-identity, mental health, and stress. Specifically, we tested the benefit of increased parental engagement on student well-being, over and above preexisting attachment avoidance and anxiety. A post-COVID-19 sample of 144 college students completed a battery of self-report measures. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that frequency of communication with parents and parental involvement contributed nothing when attachment avoidance with parents was controlled. This pattern did not change when 1st-generation students, students of color, and students with prior diagnoses of psychological or learning disorders were compared with their peers. Although these findings provide little support for interventions designed to increase parent engagement in college with most students, potential strategies for helping students who do not benefit from secure adult attachment with their parents are discussed.