Date of Completion
5-6-2017
Degree Type
Honors Thesis - Campus Access
Discipline
Psychology (PSYC)
First Advisor
Máire Ford
Abstract
This study examined attachment style as a predictor of parents’ engagement in cultural socialization practices in U.S. families who have adopted children from China. I predicted that parents with a secure attachment style would be more likely to engage in cultural socialization practices than parents with an insecure attachment style. An online survey of attachment style and cultural socialization practices was administered to 132 adoptive parents from the organization Families with Children from China. The results showed that parents with an insecure attachment style, particularly those high in attachment anxiety, reported a lesser engagement in cultural socialization practices compared to parents with a secure attachment style. Additionally, two demographic variables: generation as a U.S. resident and a parent’s number of biological children, were negatively correlated with an engagement in cultural socialization practices. Parents whose families have resided in the U.S. longer and or those who have a greater number of biological children tended to report engaging in cultural socialization practices to a lesser extent. The implications of these findings and practical applications concerning transracial adoption outcomes are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Whitfield, Mackenzie A., "Attachment Style and Cultural Socialization Practices in Families with Children Adopted from China" (2017). Honors Thesis. 165.
https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/honors-thesis/165
