Assessment of attachment in mothers and fathers: comparing self-report questionnaires and DMM-Adult Attachment Interview Baldoni Franco1, Minghetti Mattia1, Facondini Elisa2, Cena Loredana3 1 Attachment Assessment Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Italy 2 Infermi Hospital-AUSL Romagna, Italy 3 Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Italy Background: The study of parental attachment and its influence on the psycho-physical development of newborns is an important issue in development research. In these cases, self-report questionnaires are commonly used both in research and in screening programs in public services, although many studies have evidenced the limits of their validity and their poorly significant correlation with the outcomes of Adult Attachment Interviews (AAI) (Roisman et al., 2007; Haltigan, Roisman & Haydon, 2014). Aim: Considering that the majority of these studies are based on AAI coded following the Berkeley criteria (Main, Goldwyn & Hesse, 1984-2003), the aim of this research is to compare, in attachment assessment, self-report questionnaires with the data of the AAI coded according to the Dynamic-Maturational Model of attachment and adaptation (DMM-AAI). Methods: A sample of 89 parents, 45 fathers and 44 mothers (M=35.77, SD =5.85), was submitted to the AAI and the texts of the interviews were codified using the DMM criteria (Crittenden & Landini, 2011). All the parents were also subjected to 2 self-report questionnaires for the attachment assessment: the Attachment Style Questionnaire, (ASQ) (Feeney, Noller, Hanrahan, 1994) and the Relationship Questionnaire, (RQ) (Bartholomew, Horowitz, 1991). Results: Poorly significant associations emerged between the DMM-AAI outputs and the self-report questionnaire data. Considering the whole sample, the RQ data compared with the DMM-AAI outputs (divided in low-risk and high-risk pattern) resulted at the limit of significance (p=.063). In mothers only, the association between the RQ and the DMM-AAI outcomes resulted significant (p=.003). No association in mothers and fathers emerged between DMM-AAI and ASQ. Conclusions: This study confirms research data on the limits of self-report questionnaires in attachment assessment and the lack of association with more complex tools like the DMM-AAI. The association increases in mothers, perhaps because these questionnaires were developed mainly taking into account female psychological aspects.

Assessment of attachment in mothers and fathers: comparing self-report questionnaires and DMM-Adult Attachment Interview.

Baldoni F.
Writing – Original Draft Preparation
;
Minghetti M.
Methodology
;
2018

Abstract

Assessment of attachment in mothers and fathers: comparing self-report questionnaires and DMM-Adult Attachment Interview Baldoni Franco1, Minghetti Mattia1, Facondini Elisa2, Cena Loredana3 1 Attachment Assessment Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Italy 2 Infermi Hospital-AUSL Romagna, Italy 3 Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Italy Background: The study of parental attachment and its influence on the psycho-physical development of newborns is an important issue in development research. In these cases, self-report questionnaires are commonly used both in research and in screening programs in public services, although many studies have evidenced the limits of their validity and their poorly significant correlation with the outcomes of Adult Attachment Interviews (AAI) (Roisman et al., 2007; Haltigan, Roisman & Haydon, 2014). Aim: Considering that the majority of these studies are based on AAI coded following the Berkeley criteria (Main, Goldwyn & Hesse, 1984-2003), the aim of this research is to compare, in attachment assessment, self-report questionnaires with the data of the AAI coded according to the Dynamic-Maturational Model of attachment and adaptation (DMM-AAI). Methods: A sample of 89 parents, 45 fathers and 44 mothers (M=35.77, SD =5.85), was submitted to the AAI and the texts of the interviews were codified using the DMM criteria (Crittenden & Landini, 2011). All the parents were also subjected to 2 self-report questionnaires for the attachment assessment: the Attachment Style Questionnaire, (ASQ) (Feeney, Noller, Hanrahan, 1994) and the Relationship Questionnaire, (RQ) (Bartholomew, Horowitz, 1991). Results: Poorly significant associations emerged between the DMM-AAI outputs and the self-report questionnaire data. Considering the whole sample, the RQ data compared with the DMM-AAI outputs (divided in low-risk and high-risk pattern) resulted at the limit of significance (p=.063). In mothers only, the association between the RQ and the DMM-AAI outcomes resulted significant (p=.003). No association in mothers and fathers emerged between DMM-AAI and ASQ. Conclusions: This study confirms research data on the limits of self-report questionnaires in attachment assessment and the lack of association with more complex tools like the DMM-AAI. The association increases in mothers, perhaps because these questionnaires were developed mainly taking into account female psychological aspects.
2018
Baldoni F., Minghetti M., Facondini E., Cena L
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11585/677892
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