Attachment Styles among African American College Students

Abstract

This study explored adult attachment styles among African American college students. The participants consisted of 129 college students aged 18 to 26 years (M = 20.1; SD =1.9). The participants completed three attachment instruments: (1) the Original Attachment Three-Category Measure (Hazen & Shaver, 1987); (2) the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ; Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991); (3) the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R; Fraley et al., 2000); and a demographic information form. The results indicated that the avoidant and secure attachment styles were dominant among African American college students. Cultural considerations are examined.