Parental attachment and relational rumination among young adults: the mediating role of friendship quality and conflict resolution styles

Emerging adulthood is characterized by the transition of attachment figures from parents to peer and/or romantic connections. Despite this transition, early parent-child experiences continue to shape adult interpersonal behaviours and emotion regulation processing in adulthood. Given these trends, the current study examines whether the relationship between parental attachment and relational rumination are mediated by friendship quality and conflict resolution styles. Data were collected from 424 young adults (female, n = 257; male, n = 167) aged 18–26. The results revealed that friendship quality was a partial mediator of the relationship. In conflict resolution styles, conflict engagement, withdrawal, and compliance partially mediated the association between parental attachment and relational rumination, while positive problem-solving did not. These findings suggest that both the quality of one's interpersonal relations and specific behavioural strategies are linked to rumination in romantic relationships, and that early attachment patterns may be reflected in current interpersonal functioning.