A Comparative Study of Attachment Styles among Normal And Delinquent Adolescents

The aim of the present study was to compare attachment styles among normal and delinquent adolescents. The sample comprised 47 delinquent (18 girls and 29 boys) and 90 normal adolescents (30 girls and 60 boys). These individuals were in the 14 to 18 age group. It is worth mentioning that convenience sampling method and random multi-stage cluster sampling method were utilized for the purpose of selecting delinquent and normal adolescents, respectively. The instrumentation consisted of “Attachment Style Scale for Childhood and Adolescence’” developed by Ronaghi, Delavar and Mazaheri (2009). Results of one-way ANOVA and chi-square test revealed that normal adolescents mostly had secure attachment style, whereas delinquents mostly had insecure attachment style. Considering attachment styles, no significant difference was observed between boys and girls in each group and in the total sample. The most frequently observed attachment styles among delinquent adolescents were preoccupied, secure, fearful, and dismissing, respectively. Delinquent boys had mostly been arrested for theft and delinquent girls were runaway ones who had committed adultery. Compared to other criminals, delinquents who had committed the afore-mentioned offenses significantly had pre-occupied style of attachment. The findings of the present study which are consistent with those of previous research indicated that there is a relationship between insecure attachment style and juvenile delinquency. In general, in can be stated that possessing secure style of attachment has a profound effect on adolescents’ social adjustment and it serves as a deterrent to juvenile delinquency.