Relationship between parenting, alexithymia and adult attachment styles: a cross-sectional study on a group of adolescents and young adults

involvement in the family, demonstrating that early caregiver’s sensitivity and responsiveness to child’s emotions are important determinants of the regulation of distressing emotions and relationships with others. The purposes of this study were the following: to investigate the relation between parenting, alexithymia and adult attachment styles; to measure the predictive variables of the adult attachment-related anxiety and avoidance. Method: The participants were 140 students, of which a group of 71 high school students (M=16.59, S.D=0.67), and a group of 69 university students (M=19.04, S.D= 1.50). All participants completed the Parental Bonding Instrument, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale–20, and the Experience in Close Relationships. Results and conclusions: In the male group, parental control seems to influence almost all alexithymia subscales, although maternal care and paternal control do not affect the tendency to externally oriented thinking. In the female group, all alexithymia dimensions seem to be influenced by parenting except the father’s control. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that alexithymia could develop in response to interactions with primary caregivers, which could also influence infant and adult attachment.