With reference to the relation between attachment patterns in adolescence and adjustment, reports to date confirm findings based on studies of young children. That is, secure attachment is typically related to healthier adjustment whereas insecure attachment is linked to various forms of maladjustment.
Bien que pendant la dernière phase de l'adolescence, tout comme dans l'âge adulte, les relations romantiques deviennent la principale relation d'attachement après deux ans (Fraley et Davis, 1997; Hazan et Zeifman, 1994), les parents demeurent d'importantes, mais secondaires, figures d'attachement (Trinke et Bartholomew, 1997).