Attachment Patterns and Social Problem Solving among Adolescent Students According to Gender and Age Group

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating the most common attachment pattern and the most frequently used social problem solving style  among adolescent students, and exploring whether there are significant differences in attachment patterns and  socail Problem solving styles  according to gender and age group, also the study aimed at investigating the relationship between attachment patterns and social  problem  solving among adolescent  students . The sample consisted of (627) students (260 male, 367 female) according to a convenient method . The scales of adult  attachment patterns developed by Abu-Ghazal and Jaradat (2009) after being adapted to the student sample,  and social problem solving, were administered.The correlational descriptive  method was used   to  collect   and  analyse the data .

The  results  showed that  the most  common  attachment pattern  is   the  secure one, and the most frequently used social  problem solving style is the rational problem solving one . The result also showed significant  differences on the anxious-ambivalent attachment pattern due to gender in favor of male students, and on the avoidant pattern in favor of female students . Also, there were significant differences on avoidant attachment pattern due to age group in favor of (16-17), and on  anxious-ambivalent attachment pattern due to age group in favor of (13-14).

Significant differences were found on avoidant  problem solving  style due to gender in favor of male students , but no significant differences were found on the other styles , and significant differences were found on rational problem solving style due to  age group in favor of (16-17).

The result also showed that the anxious-ambivalent attachment  pattern related positively to the negative problem orientation, impulsive carelessness style, and avoidant problem solving style. Moreover both secure attachment pattern and avoidant attachment pattern related positively to avoidant  problem solving style, rational problem solving style, and positive problem orientation .

 The results were discussed and a number of  recommendations were suggested