Although studies have assessed the association between affective dysfunction and parental bonding, little research has assessed the information processing characteristics of individuals with disrupted parental bonding. The current study investigated differences in attentional processing between individuals with relatively poor versus secure parental bonding, and also assessed this processing in conjunction with a mood priming procedure that has been used in previous vulnerability research. Using a Stroop procedure, results indicated that poorly bonded individuals were less distracted by depressive information than were individuals reporting a secure bonding history. Results also suggested that avoidance of anxious information in the poorly bonded group was uniquely associated with maternal overprotection. These results suggest that poorly bonded individuals may cope with their increased vulnerability by avoiding some types of affectively linked information, and that some of this avoidance may be linked to perceptions of a mother who is overly intrusive.