A Child's Behavior: A Reflection of Parents' Romantic Interactions

Research has shown that a child will form an attachment to his or her primary caregiver, and an attachment style formed in childhood will carry over to a person's romantic relationship in his or her adult life (Hazen & Shaver, 1987). The purpose of this study is to determine whether parents' attachment behaviors in their romantic relationship influence the behaviors of their children toward both parents rather than one primary caregiver. In an observational study we compared the behaviors of children to the interactional behaviors of the children's parents in their romantic relationship. The behaviors of children and parents were coded at a small Midwestern airport as they arrived at the seating area and also as they waited for the departure of their flight and in the dining area at a shopping mall. Although mother-to-father affection and father-to-mother affection were not related to child-to-parent affection, father-to-mother affection was related to mother-to-father affection.