Published Paper Details:

Adolescents' psychological adjustment and overall well-being are influenced by attachment relationships and coping mechanisms. Due to being impacted by things such as parental deployment, frequent relocation, and parents being temporarily separated from them, children of defence personnel are more frequently thought to be at higher psychological risk than other children. Despite these assumptions, empirical research does not support this assumption with inconsistent findings. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate attachment relationships, coping mechanisms, and psychological well-being among adolescents from both civilian and defence families. Quantitative cross-sectional data (comparing two groups of children) were collected. The sample included 30 children of defence personnel compared to 30 civilians (aged 14 - 18). The samples were compared using independent sample t-tests on the following standardized measures: Attachment Style, Brief COPE, and Psychological Well-Being (PWI) measures. No statistically significant differences were found between civilian versus defence personnel children regarding attachment, coping mechanisms, or psychological well-being. Thus, the findings suggest that a parent's occupational background does not solely determine the emotional adjustment of adolescents. This research highlights the role of familial and social supports in promoting adolescent well-being.