Most social scientists agree that the attachment between mother and daughter often exists as a secure attachment behavior system which serves as an important provision of close parent child interactions (Ainsworth, Bell & Stayton, 1975; Bowlby, 1969; Cunningham & Barbee, 2000; Reis, 2000). Notable attachment theorists, John Bowlby (1969) and Mary Ainsworth (1975) posit, that attachment behavior, consists of instinctual responses that assist in reciprocal symbiotic behavior designed to bind the child to the mother (or primary caretaker) for the purpose of protection, security and survival of the species. Along these lines, the secure attachment relationship developed earlier in life continues to play a vital role in the overall mental health of individuals during adolescence and later into young adulthood (Bowlby, 1969; Zapin, 2001). Another prominent variable in this study was maternal emotional support. As a protective factor, emotional support has been associated with various indicators of psychological well-being (Cunningham & Barbee, 2000; Reis, 2000). For late-stage adolescent female offenders with mental health problems, maternal emotional support and a secure mother-daughter attachment relationship may provide the responsive care needed to become more resilient to the victimization of trauma and abuse, experienced by so many. Attachment and maternal emotional support have particular relevance because of the increasing number of women entering the criminal justice system, who not only have daughters but also are daughters themselves. A cross-sectional exploratory design was utilized for this study. Univariate, bivariate and regression analyses were conducted. The results revealed that attachment was related to posttraumatic stress disorder (ptsd) but not related to substance abuse behavior or high-risk sexual behavior in a statistically significant way. Maternal emotional support was not related in a linear way to posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse or high-risk sexual behavior. However, maternal emotional support contributed in a statistically significant way to attachment in a regression model predicting total mental health. Attachment and maternal emotional support were variables in a statistically significant model that predicted posttraumatic stress disorder but not substance abuse or high-risk sexual behavior. Substance abuse was best predicted by high-risk sexual behavior. Conversely, high-risk sexual behavior was best predicted by substance abuse behavior while controlling for age, race, education, and marital status. These findings indicate the primary efficacy of attachment and maternal emotional support in predicting specific adverse mental health outcomes.