Attachment, Working Models of Parenting, and Expectations for Using Television in Childrearing

This study used attachment theory to understand college students' working models of parenting and expectations for how they would use television in parenting. We found that secure parent‐child attachment histories were related to more positive expectations of parenting and that avoidant and anxious‐ambivalent parent‐child attachment histories were related to more negative expectations of parenting. Avoidant parent‐child attachment history was related to more positive views about television for children and in parenting, especially among adults with insecure adult attachments. In addition, students with more secure attachment histories had healthier views on using television with children. The implications of these results for understanding parents' use of television with their children as well the effects of television on children are discussed.