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Attachment measures in middle childhood and adolescence: a systematic review of measurement properties

Jewell, T; Gardner, T; Susi, K; Watchorn, K; Coopey, E; Simic, M; Fonagy, P; (2019) Attachment measures in middle childhood and adolescence: a systematic review of measurement properties. Clinical Psychology Review , 68 pp. 71-82. 10.1016/j.cpr.2018.12.004. Green open access

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Abstract

Background: Attachment theory proposes that humans develop representations of self and other in early childhood which are relatively stable across the life-course, and play a key role in psychological adaptation. However, to date, the psychometric properties of attachment measures in middle childhood and adolescence have not been evaluated in a systematic review. Method: A systematic review (PROSPERO ID: CRD42017057772) was conducted using COSMIN criteria. Two researchers independently searched MEDLINE, PsychINFO and Embase databases for relevant articles. Results: Fifty-four studies were included in the review. The methodological quality of studies was typically fair or poor, with only a smaller number of studies being rated as of good or excellent quality. The measurement properties of attachment measures in this age group were frequently rated as inadequate according to COSMIN criteria. The Child Attachment Interview (CAI) has the best psychometric properties of the interview and projective measures, and the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) the best evidence of the self-report measures. Overall, the evidence for the CAI and IPPA included both positive and negative findings relating to adequacy of measurement properties. Conclusions: Attachment measures in middle childhood and adolescence currently have limited evidence for the adequacy of their psychometric properties.

Type: Article
Title: Attachment measures in middle childhood and adolescence: a systematic review of measurement properties
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2018.12.004
Publisher version: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2018.12.004
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © The Author(s), 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed.
Keywords: Attachment, Measurement, Psychometrics, Adolescence, Validity, Child Development
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Clinical, Edu and Hlth Psychology
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10065407
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