Early parental loss: Young adults' attachment patterns, mourning, and dysfunctional romantic relationship beliefs

This thesis aimed to examine attachment patterns, dysfunctional romantic relationship beliefs and mourning reactions of young adults who experienced parental loss. Adult attachment assessment included secure, preoccupied, dismissing, and fearful attachment patterns. Assessment of mourning reactions included behavioral, physical, affective and cognitive types. Dysfunctional romantic relationship beliefs were measured cumulatively. Participants were 423 students (64 had early parental loss) of a public university in İstanbul who joined the study through an online survey package that began with a demographic information form. Descriptive analyses showed that attachment patterns did not differ by loss status; significant positive relations existed between the dismissing attachment pattern scores and dysfunctional romantic relationship beliefs for participants with early parental loss, and preoccupied attachment pattern scores and dysfunctional romantic relationship beliefs for participants with no parent loss. The most common mourning reaction types were behavioral and physical, while emotional and cognitive types were rare. Young adults with dismissing attachment patterns had more dysfunctional romantic relationship beliefs if they had high levels of mourning. The study implied the importance of assessment of attachment patterns and mourning level in providing psychological support on romantic relationship beliefs of young adults with early parental loss.