Contribution of parental attachment and involvement to the academic, emotional and social adjustment to college: A three-year longitudinal study

This three-year longitudinal study explored the effects of parental attachment and initial college adjustment on students' perception of parental involvement in academic functioning as well as contributions of several parenting dimensions to academic, emotional and social adjustments after three years of college. A total of 171 Croatian college students (118 females) completed questionnaires related to their parental attachment, parental involvement in academic functioning, and adjustment to college. Data were analyzed by hierarchical regression analysis. Results suggested that parental involvement in academic functioning in the second year is more related to the quality of attachment to parents than to the initial adjustment to college. While attachment was a significant predictor of only emotional adjustment, parental support in academic functioning predicted academic and social adjustment to college after three years of college. Results suggest that various factors related to parenting continue to play an important role in different aspects of students' adjustment to college.