Abstract

This study investigated relationships between recollections of parental warmth and control and characteristics of the social support network, especially network orientation, and the extent to which this relationship is mediated by current attachment style. One hundred and thirty-nine American undergraduate students completed questionnaires regarding parental warmth and control, current attachment style, and various characteristics of the social support network. Analyses revealed that the more individuals recalled their fathers as having been warm, the more positive the network orientations they reported. Recalled father and mother warmth were positively associated with perceived amount of social support and recalled mother warmth was associated with satisfaction with perceived social support. Current secure attachment style was predicted by recollections of mother and father warmth, and current secure attachment style mediated the relation between perceived parental warmth and characteristics of the social support network. The implications of these findings are discussed.