Parental Attachment and Love Attitudes: A Comparative Study among Gen-Z Young Adults Having Single Working Parents and both Working Parents in India

Description

Page: 897-903

Barsanjolly Das and Debangana Bhattacharya (Department of Psychology, Sister Nivedita University, Kolkata, West Bengal)

In modern India, the growing prevalence of dual-income families and single working parent households is reshaping the emotional development of Gen-Z individuals aged 18-25, particularly in how they form beliefs about trust, communication, and love. This study aimed to examine and compare parental attachment and love attitudes among Gen-Z young adults from two family structures: single working parent households and those with both parents working. A total of 122 participants (60 from single working parent families & 62 from dual-working-parent families) were selected through purposive sampling from academic and corporate settings across India. Using standardized tools the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment-Revised (Gullone & Robinson, 2005) and the Love Attitudes Scale Short Form (Hendrick & Hendrick, 1986) data were collected between April 20 and May 23, 2025. Independent-sample t-tests revealed significant differences in paternal attachment dimensions: father trust (p = .009), father communication (p = .004), and father alienation (p = .004), with higher scores reported by participants from single working parent households. A notable difference was also found in the Ludus love style (p = .038), which was higher among those from dual-working-parent families. Maternal attachment and other love styles showed no significant variation between the groups. These findings suggest that family structure, particularly the quality of father-child relationships, plays a crucial role in shaping Gen-Z individuals’ emotional and romantic expectations. The results underscore the importance of understanding the nuanced ways in which evolving parental roles influence young adults’ perceptions of attachment and love in contemporary Indian society.