What Happened to Children with Avoidant Attachment? A Study of Social Relations-Based Behaviours of Avoidant Children from the Age of 6 to 19

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to assess the social relationship-based behaviors of 19-year-old children who are in the early stages of adulthood and had an avoidant attachment style at age 6. Based on criterion sampling, a purposive sampling method used in qualitative research, the study group of this research was selected from children whose attachment security had been previously identified. The study was conducted with 5 girls and 5 boys with avoidant attachment styles selected from the 26 available children who participated in the 2006 study that identified the attachment patterns of 110 children. The data collection instruments of the study are the IDFSS attachment scale used in 2006 and a semi-structured interview form and a student data form used in 2019. The study concludes that children who exhibited avoidant attachment at age 6 maintained their attachment patterns. They were found to fail in perceiving academic achievement, coping with emotional problems, relationships with parents and others, and trust in others.

Keywords

• Avoidant attachment
• social relations
• early childhood
• early adulthood

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