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Parent Attachment Questionnaire for Older Adolescents3

Parent Attachment Questionnaire for Older Adolescents Test

In 2 minutes, see how a teen’s bond with each parent shows up as secure, anxious, or avoidant attachment. Ten quick items flag risk areas and guide focused support at home, school, or in therapy.

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Questions: 102 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

31,865 views

2,246 completions

1,915 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

2/10

Avoidant (A)

Measures the degree of emotional distancing and reduced positive engagement toward a parent, often alongside a tendency to keep interactions less emotionally close.

Low avoidant

Moderate avoidant

High avoidant

0 – 3: Low avoidant | 4 – 6: Moderate avoidant | 7 – 10: High avoidant

A score of 2 falls in the Low avoidant range, suggesting relatively little tendency to distance from the parent and generally more openness to connection.

example score

5/10

Anxious (A)

Measures the degree of anxious-ambivalent attachment toward a parent, reflecting worry about availability and reassurance-seeking in the relationship.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 3: Low | 4 – 6: Moderate | 7 – 10: High

A score of 5 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a noticeable but not extreme tendency toward worry about parental responsiveness and needing reassurance.

example score

4/10

Secure (S)

Measures the degree of secure (reliable) attachment to parents, reflected in perceived support, autonomy encouragement, and consistency in the relationship.

Low reliability

Moderate reliability

High reliability

0 – 3: Low reliability | 4 – 6: Moderate reliability | 7 – 10: High reliability

A score of 4 suggests a moderate level of reliable attachment, indicating some perceived support and consistency alongside areas where the bond may feel less steady.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

School psychologists and counselors

41%OF USERS

They use it as a quick screen to understand a teen’s attachment patterns with each parent and guide support at school.

Family therapists and clinicians

34%OF USERS

They administer it in intake or sessions to identify anxious, avoidant, or secure dynamics and tailor treatment plans.

Parents of older teens

25%OF USERS

They take it to clarify how their teen experiences closeness, support, and conflict with mom versus dad.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Avoidant (A)

Average

6.8

Normal range

5.2 — 8.4

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Anxious (A)

Average

4.3

Normal range

2.8 — 5.7

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Reliable (R)

Average

4.8

Normal range

3.5 — 6.2

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Please select one statement from each set of three that best describes your relationship with your mother. Only one statement may be selected from each set. If you have difficulty choosing, respond based on what is true in most situations.

- My mother supports and approves of my own decisions.
- My mother lets me make my own decisions and does not take an interest in them.
- My mother sometimes strongly controls my decisions and at other times hardly controls them; I often cannot understand why.
- My mother values and respects my personal goals and interests.
- My mother is skeptical about my personal goals and interests.
- My mother has very little understanding of my goals and interests.
- unstable.
- distant.
- close.

These are 3 of the 10 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Parent Attachment Questionnaire for Older Adolescents Test - Symptoms and Signs

attachment

family

This brief self-report measure assesses perceived attachment-related experiences with caregivers in older adolescence. The Parent Attachment Questionnaire for Older Adolescents provides a structured way to characterize patterns of closeness, trust, and emotional reliance with each parent figure. It is attributed to G. C. Armsden and M. T. Greenberg.

The instrument includes 10 items and typically requires about 2 minutes to complete. Responses are considered separately for mother and father (or primary caregivers as applicable) to support clinical formulation and case conceptualization. In clinical or school settings, results from the Parent Attachment Questionnaire for Older Adolescents may inform discussion of relational strengths and potential areas of vulnerability (e.g., elevated worry about support, emotional distancing) and guide treatment planning in conjunction with interview data and other assessment findings.

Author: G. C. Armsden, M. T. Greenberg

Literature: Armsden, G. C., & Greenberg, M. T. The inventory of parent and peer attachment: Individual differences and their relationship to psychological well-being in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 1987.