Identity Status Differences among Italian Adolescents: Associations with Parent and Peer Attachment Relationships

This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the relations between parent and peer attachment and each type of identity status following Marcia’s developmental model. It was hypothesized that achieved adolescents and similarly adolescents in moratorium status would show a positive attachment organization characterized by trust and communication contrary to foreclosed and diffused youngsters. The findings confirmed how often processes within the family and the group of peers are closely related to one another: adolescents who perceive their relationships with their parents as positive may be most likely to establish trusting, intimate and reciprocal relationships with peers (Meeus et al., 2010). In terms of interpersonal relationships, diffused adolescents tend to be isolated or stereotyped in their style of intimacy with others and so they are most likely to establish no close relationships or to focus them on very superficial issues. The present study has important implications for future empirical investigation providing valuable information regarding the strong association between parents and peer attachment and adolescent identity development.