Heading to university with(out) a best friend: attachment anxiety, changes to best friendships and adjustment to first-year university.

OBJECTIVE

We examined the links among attachment anxiety, coming to university with or without a best friend, forming new friendships, and adjustment to university.

PARTICIPANTS AND

METHODS

First-year undergraduate students at a Canadian university (N = 303, 92% women) completed surveys about their experiences with their best friend (i.e., forming new friendships, coming to university with/without a best friend), their adjustment to university and their attachment orientations.

RESULTS

We found a significant relationship among attachment anxiety, perceiving best friends making new friends and the location of best friends, predicting both openness to new friendships and general well-being. Having a best friend who did not make new friends during the transition to university was associated with poorer adjustment, and this was heightened for those high in attachment anxiety and in the same location as their best friend.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest that anxious attachment and experiences in best friendships play a critical role in the adjustment to university.