Parental Apologies, Empathy, Shame, Guilt, and Attachment: A Path Analysis

The authors investigated the complex relationships of parental attitudes toward apologies, empathy, shame, guilt, and the parent's attachment orientation. Survey responses were obtained from 327 parents. A path analysis of the developed model demonstrated a close model fit (root-mean-square error of approximation = .07; comparative fit index = .93; incremental fit index = .94; (2) = 30.71, p < .001), supporting previous research on apologies as beneficial to relationships. A parent's proclivity toward apologies, positively influenced by empathy and guilt and negatively influenced by shame-withdraw behaviors, produced a more secure parent-child attachment.