The relations at home help in determining the behavior depicted in different situations encountered in the daily life. Extensive studies have analyzed the impact of parent-child relationship in determining a child’s personality, development, adjustment style and several other characteristics (Locke, 2008). In this regard, attachment theory put forward by John Bowlby (1980) examines the attachment bond between the mother and child developed in the early years of childhood. According to the attachment theory, this attachment style impacts the behaviors exhibited later in life. Several studies have further expanded on this theory by assessing different dimensions such as adult romantic relationships, personality disorders and more. To add into the existing research, this study would aim at analyzing the impact of attachment style on friendship qualities and coping behavior of individuals; a subject less studied. This study would also examine the role of friendship in mediating the relationship between attachment and coping. For this reason, this would be a descriptive and a correlational research as it aims at finding the cause and effect of the variables; the knower and known are independent of each other and since the data can be generalized, the study undertakes a positivist approach.
Moreover, this is a quantitative, cross sectional research as the data would be collected via structured questionnaires having approximately 5-8 questions measured on the likert scale for every variable as it would help in measuring the correct opinion about each variable. Undertaking a quantitative design would help in measuring each variable with greater accuracy thereby fostering huge data collection that would be easily analyzed through different statistical tools and hence be easily generalized. The population of this study would be single, educated males and females falling in the age range of 18-25 who have at least spent the first six years of their life with their mothers. Since the sample size incorporated by previous studies range between 40 and 600 participants (Lopez et.al, 2008), the averages of these values indicate a sample of 320 for this research. Also, the age range is not only selected on the basis of the previous studies but also because this research would focus upon the adult attachment style where special emphasis would be on friendship qualities. However, considering an age range beyond 25 years would divert the study to the analysis of romantic relationships.
The data for this study would be collected through purposive sampling which is a type of non probability sampling since the exact population of this study is unknown. Moreover, purposive sampling would help target the right population and collect the required data. Primary data would be obtained through a questionnaire that would address attachment style assessed through the Adult Attachment Scale by Collins and Read (1990) having reasonable internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha .75, friendship qualities and coping behavior through the COPE (Carvel, 1989) having a high reliability of .71 along with high internal consistency specifically observed in studies having a small sample size. The questionnaire used in this study would rate the statements on a five point likert scale. The COPE (Carvel, 1989) measure uses a continuous scale incorporating 14 dimensions catering to effective and ineffective coping. The data obtained would be analyzed through descriptive statistics, correlation, regression and other essential statistical tools using Ms. Excel and SPSS. Moreover,
In order to conduct this research, each participant would be given the questionnaire along with a consent form and the briefing of the purpose of the study. The respondents would also be assured that their data would be kept confidential and would purely be used for academic purpose (Kumar, R. 2005). Since the study would collect data collect data via a questionnaire using the Adult Attachment Scale and the COPE measure, some of the questions that would be included are as follows:
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
- Please read over each statement and circle the number that corresponds to the level of your agreement or disagreement with the statement:
- People are never there when you need them 1 2 3 4 5
- I find it difficult to trust others completely 1 2 3 4 5
- Please indicate what you generally do and feel when you experience stressful events. Obviously, different events bring out somewhat different responses, but think about what you usually do when you are under a lot of stress:
- I've been using drugs to make myself feel better 1 2 3 4 5
- I've been making jokes about it 1 2 3 4 5
The above mentioned statements that would be a part of the questionnaire are good statements not only because of the fact that they are taken from the widely used measures that have been a part of many studies since long, but also because of their high reliability and internal consistency as stated previously. In addition, these statements are stated in simple language which is easy to understand and respond to having no words with different connotations. Also, they measure the specific variables of attachment style and coping behavior. For this reason, the responses obtained for them would be easy to analyze, interpret and generalize.
Every research has to deal with the issue of researcher’s biasness which usually arises because of the design, tool and the procedure of this study. The use of purposive sampling in this research might create a room for biasness when it comes to selecting the sample, but it is one of the most appropriate sampling techniques to use in this situation where the population is unknown and emphasis is for a selected criterion. However, to minimize this concern, the study could also use interviews along with questionnaires in order to further authenticate the data obtained through the participants and match the responses with the two data collection tools so that it could be easily generalized (Smith, 2012). Moreover, the ethical concern of this issue is addressed by ensuring confidentiality of data and informing the participants about it (NHMRC, 2007). Personal questions would be avoided in this research and simple statements would be used so that it enhances the response rate for the study. In addition, using incentives such as a lucky draw would also help increase the response rate for the survey of this research.
REFERENCES
Bowlby, J. (1980). Attachment and loss: Sadness and depression. New York: Basic Books
Carver, C., Scheier, F., & Weintraub, J. (1989). Assessing coping strategies: a theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56 (2), pp. 267-283
Collins, N. L., & Read, S.J. (1990). Adult attachment, working models, and relationship quality in dating couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58(4), pp. 644-663.
Kumar, R. (2005). Research Methodology-A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners. Singapore: Pearson Education.
Locke, K. (2008). Attachment styles and interpersonal approach and avoidance goals in everyday couple interactions. Personal Relationships, 15, pp. 359-364.
Lopez, F., Mauricio, M., Gormley, B., Simko, T., & Berger, E. (2008). Adult attachment orientations and college student distress: the mediating role of problem coping styles. Journal of Counseling and Development, 79 (4), pp. 459-464.
Martinson, C., Anderson, S., & Vries, R. (2005). Scientists behaving badly. Nature, 43 (5), pp. 737–738.
NHMRC (2007). National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (the National Statement), Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra. Retrieved from http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/synopses/e72syn.htm
Smith, A. (2012). Research Ethics. New York: Routledge. Print.
