Perceptions of Interparental Conflict, Romantic Attachment, and Psychological Distress in College Students Angela M. Cusimano and Shelley A. Riggs University of North Texas There is a well-documented association between interparental conflict and offspring psychological functioning from childhood to early adulthood. Although the literature suggests that interparental conflict affects offspring well-being through cognitive and emotional pathways, little research has addressed how the adult attachment system might mediate the early experience of interparental conflict and psychological distress in adulthood. In the current study, college students (N = 330) completed an online survey about their perceptions of early interparental conflict, romantic attachment patterns, and current psychological symptoms. Results suggest that memories of interparental conflict in childhood are significantly related to psychological functioning in emerging adulthood and adult attachment strategies play an important mediating role. Keywords: interparental conflict, adult attachment, psychological distress, emerging adults Two decades of research have established that early experiences and later perceptions of interparental conflict have detrimental effects on psychological adjustment (Grych & Fin- cham, 1990; Turner & Kopiec, 2006). Evidence suggests that these experiences influence feel- ings of emotional security, attachment represen- tations, and relationships throughout the life span. Researchers have found that children’s appraisals of threat and self-blame after wit- nessing interparental conflict lead to internaliz- ing problems, such as depression and anxiety (Grych, Fincham, Jouriles, & McDonald, 2000). In later life, emerging adults who recalled a high frequency of conflict between their parents reported jealousy and insecurity in their own romantic relationships (Hayashi & Strickland, 1998) and compromised psychological well- being (e.g., low self-esteem, high distress, low satisfaction, and decreased levels of happiness; Amato & Sobolewski, 2001). Given these links, the current study investigated the hypothesis that adult romantic attachment representations mediate associations between memories of in- terparental conflict and current psychological functioning. Attachment Theory: Building a Relationship Foundation Bowlby (1969) conceptualized the attach- ment system as developing in infancy and guiding representations or “internal working models” (IWMs) of self and relationships throughout the course of a lifetime. Derived from early interactions with caregivers, IWMs are thought to include affective, defensive, and descriptive cognitive components (Bretherton, 1985; Main, Kaplan, & Cassidy, 1985). Parental styles of structuring and guiding interaction di- rect the general organization and structure of children’s memories and emotional experiences (Bretherton, 1993). As children become aware of their internal states, they learn to regulate their emotions and control their behavioral re- sponses to the caregiver. Well-coordinated reg- ulatory patterns contribute to the capacity for emotional and behavioral self-regulation and provide the foundation for developing an inte- grated sense of self as a coherent whole (Carl- son & Sroufe, 1995; Sroufe & Fleeson, 1986). Recent research supports this theory, showing that attachment representations seem to be both Angela M. Cusimano and Shelley A. Riggs, Department of Psychology, University of North Texas. Correspondence concerning this article should be ad- dressed to Angela Cusimano, Department of Psychology, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle #311280, Denton, TX 76201. E-mail: angelacusimano@my.unt.edu Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice © 2013 American Psychological Association 2013, Vol. 2, No. 1, 45–59 2160-4096/13/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/a0031657 45