TITLE:
Development and Validation of the Australian Preschool Attachment Scales
AUTHORS:
Jennifer E. McIntosh, Evelyn S. Tan, Christopher J. Greenwood, Anna T. Booth, Jessica E. Opie, Bi-Xia Ke, Carol George, Delyse M. Hutchinson, Robert S. Marvin, Craig A. Olsson
KEYWORDS:
Attachment, Pre-School Children, Validity, Rating Scales, Assessment
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.11 No.11,
November
28,
2023
ABSTRACT: Objective: We aimed to develop and validate Australian guidelines to support
accurate assessment of preschool attachment by researchers and by child
clinical psychologists and allied pracitioners. Method: The Australian
Preschool Attachment Scales (APAS) were developed through grounded item generation and validated with data from
121 Australian preschool child and parent dyads, for whom we compared codes
assigned by certified researchers and na?ve clinical coders. Results: APAS scores from reliable and na?ve coders were highly correlated (r = 0.52 - 0.79). Accuracy of organised attachment classifications using the APAS was high for both
reliable and na?ve coders (κ = 0.89), and for identification of
disorganised attachment (κ = 0.71). Conclusions: This pilot study
supports use of the APAS to facilitate training in observation and
interpretation of attachment behaviours by clinicians. Further research to
improve the alignment between the APAS and the PACS is discussed.