Interpersonal Relationships

Relationships are an integral part of everyone’s lives, and serve countless functions. For the purpose of this study, relationships refer to any familial, romantic, or friendship associations that a person may experience. Because the studies of interpersonal relationships are so vast, little research examines the correlations between parental attachment/parenting style and potential associations with their adult children’s anxious/depressive symptoms, particularly college students. It is important to examine correlations among these three variables so that we can better understand the effects of relationships and anxious/depressive symptoms. Approaching this broad concept from the view of parent/child relationships, the purpose of this study is to understand the correlations between individuals’ relationship perceptions and their own psychological well-being. Specifically, we hypothesize that positively perceived parental relationships and parent/child attachment styles will be associated with lower depressive and anxious symptoms among college students. This study has been approved by the MSU IRB, and all data is being collected from Murray State University college students via SONA and through the use of paper fliers. The minimum sample size for this study is 120 participants. Findings will be presented at Murray State’s Fall 2024 Scholars Week.