Date

7-22-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Laura Rolen

Keywords

attachment, emerging adulthood, resilience, independence, faith, childhood loss, developmental psychology

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

The transition to emerging adulthood is a period of change that is shaped by early attachment. Previous literature has established that attachment security influences functioning later in life, including both resilience and independence. Additionally, faith is often associated with positive outcomes. However, limited research has examined how these constructs relate to one another in emerging adulthood. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to explore how faith moderates the relationship between early life attachment and both resilience and independence in emerging adults. The study employed self-report surveys to measure attachment, resilience, independence, and faith in a sample of 70 participants aged 18–25. A series of correlations and regression analyses with moderation were conducted to test six hypotheses. Results revealed that the close dimension of attachment significantly predicted both resilience and independence, while the anxiety dimension was negatively associated with both constructs. Faith moderated the relationship between attachment anxiety and resilience, suggesting it may serve as a protective factor against the effects of insecure attachment. Among participants who had experienced the childhood loss of a primary caregiver, faith significantly moderated the relationship between attachment-close and independence. These findings have implications for psychological practice, spiritual development, and trauma-informed care, emphasizing the relevance of secure attachment and faith as interrelated protective factors during the critical life stage of emerging adulthood.

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