Authors:
Elizabeth Oghenetega Wadi, Nweke Dorathy Chikaodi, Kadibia Udo Silver, Natka Jankova Alagjozovska, Gianluigi Segalerba, Aygul Z. Ibatova

Addresses:
Department of Psychology, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Department of Adult Education and Community Development, Faculty of Education, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Department of English Language and Literature, Goce Delcev University, Štip, North Macedonia. Institute for Philosophical Studies, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, Tyumen Industrial University, Surgut, Tyumen Oblast, Russia.

Abstract:

Rivers State University, Port Harcourt students' romantic relationships were affected by parental attachment types. The goals were to identify common parental attachment styles, analyze how they relate to adult romantic attachment behaviors (secure, anxious, and avoidant), compare maternal and paternal influences on romantic interactions, and understand how insecure attachment backgrounds affect intimacy, trust, and emotional management. Purposive convenience sampling was used to administer 210 undergraduate questionnaires. The model predicted parental attachment patterns well, accounting for 75% of the diversity in these patterns. Female students had much higher ratings on adult romantic attachment than male students, showing that parental attachment has a greater impact on female romantic attachment. Because maternal attachment had higher mean scores, it had a greater impact on adult romantic relationship practices than paternal attachment. An insecure parental connection accounted for approximately 90% of the variance in students' romantic relationship closeness, trust, and emotional regulation. However, it had little immediate impact. Tests showed that maternal attachment styles influence adult romantic attachment behaviors more than other attachment styles, rejecting all null hypotheses. The study found that maternal attachment has a greater impact on adult romantic relationship behaviors and that female students are more romantically attached. Insecure attachment is linked to closeness and emotional regulation, although students' romantic experiences depend on their emotional skills. Parental education to promote secure attachments, attachment-focused therapies in university counseling, gender-aware relationship programs, and future research on cultural, peer, and economic factors alongside parental attachment are recommended.

Keywords: Maternal Attachment; Paternal Attachment; Adult Romantic Attachment; Romantic Relationships; Insecure Attachment; Emotional Regulation; Gender Differences.

Received on: 30/06/2025, Revised on: 07/10/2025, Accepted on: 24/11/2025, Published on: 16/07/2026

DOI: 10.69888/FTSSSL.2026.000727

FMDB Transactions on Sustainable Social Sciences Letters , 2026 Vol. 4 No. 3, Pages: 130-143

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