Adolescent Project: Project Description

Attachment, psychological distress, and personality functioning in adolescents – a longitudinal study initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic

Due to school closures and periods of remote and hybrid learning, children and adolescents were particularly affected by measures implemented to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. As a consequence, levels of internalising and externalising problems among adolescents increased substantially in Germany and internationally (Koenig et al., 2021; Racine et al., 2021). Since psychological distress is generally lower in the presence of secure attachment representations and strategies, an important question arises as to whether the association between the extent of experienced contact restrictions (e.g. remote learning, quarantine) and psychological distress is moderated by supportive relationships with parents and peers.

In our study, beginning in autumn 2021, learning motivation, attachment to parents and peers, and psychopathological distress were assessed in students both with and without the use of child and adolescent psychiatric or psychotherapeutic services. Participants were recruited in a rural region of Bavaria from secondary schools as well as from a child and adolescent psychiatric clinic and several child and adolescent psychotherapeutic practices and outpatient services.

A total of 70 adolescents aged 13 to 17 years completed the German versions of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (Armsden & Greenberg, 1987; Zimmermann, 1992), the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire for Adolescents (Gnambs & Hanfstingl, 2014; Ryan & Deci, 2020), and the Youth Self-Report (Achenbach, Ivanova, & Rescorla, 2017). To assess attachment representations in relation to parental relationships, a semi-projective interview—the Adolescent Separation Anxiety Interview (ASAI; Brown & Wright, 2003; Richard, Fonagy, Smith, Wright, & Binney, 1998)—was administered. Personality functioning, or from a psychodynamic perspective the level of structural integration, was assessed using the OPD-CA Structure Questionnaire (Schrobildgen et al., 2018) and the Levels of Personality Functioning Questionnaire (LoPF-Q 12–18; Goth et al., 2018).

Preliminary findings indicate that, against the backdrop of generally increased symptom burden during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents with secure attachment to their parents reported fewer psychological symptoms than those with insecure–ambivalent attachment representations. In addition, associations were found between the degree of attachment security and the level of personality functioning.

Project Team

  • Dr. Johanna Behringer (Principal Investigator)
  • Julia Festini (Co-Principal Investigator)

Publications to date from the project:

Festini, J., Juen, F., & Behringer, J., (in press). Bindung und psychische Belastung bei Jugendlichen aus Schulen und Versorgungspraxen während und nach der Covid-19-Pandemie, Praxis der Kinderpsychologie und Kinderpsychiatrie.

Behringer, J., & Festini, J. (in press). Bindung im Jugendalter – Übersicht über Methoden zu deren Erfassung, Befunde und Relevanz für die psychotherapeutische Versorgung. Die Psychotherapie.