Around the House: A Descriptive Study of Attachment Styles, Living Arrangement, and Involvement in Undergraduate Commuter Students - JCAPS Vol. 3 Issue 2

Most undergraduate students still commute to their undergraduate institution, and previous research identified parental involvement as a factor when determining whether a student will be a commuter. It is also assumed that these students are disengaged from their co-curricular experiences. Yet, little research has explored this dynamic of parental attachment and commuter student involvement. Self-reported living arrangements, student involvement, and attachment styles were explored in a singular institutional study of commuter students (n=1,452). The findings were that there was no relationship between attachment style and involvement, but there was between attachment style and living arrangement. Most participants self-disclosed they were involved, which disrupts assumptions of commuter student disengagement. Implications for practice and future directions for research are suggested connected to the study findings to suggest ways in which institutions can facilitate increased commuter student involvement.