Tags

Type your tag names separated by a space and hit enter

The first 10,000 Adult Attachment Interviews: distributions of adult attachment representations in clinical and non-clinical groups.
Attach Hum Dev. 2009 May; 11(3):223-63.AH

Abstract

More than 200 adult attachment representation studies, presenting more than 10,500 Adult Attachment Interview (AAI; George, Kaplan, & Main, 1985) classifications, have been conducted in the past 25 years. In a series of analyses on the distributions of the AAI classifications in various cultural and age groups, fathers, and high-risk and clinical samples, we used the distribution of the combined samples of North American non-clinical mothers (23% dismissing, 58% secure, 19% preoccupied attachment representations, and 18% additionally coded for unresolved loss or other trauma) to examine deviations from this normative pattern, through multinomial tests and analyses of correspondence. The analyses were restricted to AAI classifications coded according to the Main, Goldwyn, and Hesse (2003) system. We did not find gender differences in the use of dismissing versus preoccupied attachment strategies, and the AAI distributions were largely independent of language and country of origin. Clinical subjects showed more insecure and unresolved attachment representations than the norm groups. Disorders with an internalizing dimension (e.g., borderline personality disorders) were associated with more preoccupied and unresolved attachments, whereas disorders with an externalizing dimension (e.g., antisocial personality disorders) displayed more dismissing as well as preoccupied attachments. Depressive symptomatology was associated with insecurity but not with unresolved loss or trauma, whereas adults with abuse experiences or PTSD were mostly unresolved. In order to find more reliable associations with clinical symptoms and disorders, future AAI studies may make more fruitful use of continuous AAI scales in addition to the conventionally used categorical classifications.

Links

Publisher Full Text

Authors+Show Affiliations

Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ
Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, The Netherlands.
van IJzendoorn MH
No affiliation info available

MeSH

AdolescentAdultCultureDepressionFemaleHumansInterview, PsychologicalMaleObject AttachmentPersonality AssessmentPsychometricsSex FactorsStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticYoung Adult

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Language

eng

PubMed ID

19455453

Citation

Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian J., and Marinus H. van IJzendoorn. "The First 10,000 Adult Attachment Interviews: Distributions of Adult Attachment Representations in Clinical and Non-clinical Groups." Attachment & Human Development, vol. 11, no. 3, 2009, pp. 223-63.
Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, van IJzendoorn MH. The first 10,000 Adult Attachment Interviews: distributions of adult attachment representations in clinical and non-clinical groups. Attach Hum Dev. 2009;11(3):223-63.
Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2009). The first 10,000 Adult Attachment Interviews: distributions of adult attachment representations in clinical and non-clinical groups. Attachment & Human Development, 11(3), 223-63. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616730902814762
Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, van IJzendoorn MH. The First 10,000 Adult Attachment Interviews: Distributions of Adult Attachment Representations in Clinical and Non-clinical Groups. Attach Hum Dev. 2009;11(3):223-63. PubMed PMID: 19455453.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - The first 10,000 Adult Attachment Interviews: distributions of adult attachment representations in clinical and non-clinical groups. AU - Bakermans-Kranenburg,Marian J, AU - van IJzendoorn,Marinus H, PY - 2009/5/21/entrez PY - 2009/5/21/pubmed PY - 2009/8/19/medline SP - 223 EP - 63 JF - Attachment & human development JO - Attach Hum Dev VL - 11 IS - 3 N2 - More than 200 adult attachment representation studies, presenting more than 10,500 Adult Attachment Interview (AAI; George, Kaplan, & Main, 1985) classifications, have been conducted in the past 25 years. In a series of analyses on the distributions of the AAI classifications in various cultural and age groups, fathers, and high-risk and clinical samples, we used the distribution of the combined samples of North American non-clinical mothers (23% dismissing, 58% secure, 19% preoccupied attachment representations, and 18% additionally coded for unresolved loss or other trauma) to examine deviations from this normative pattern, through multinomial tests and analyses of correspondence. The analyses were restricted to AAI classifications coded according to the Main, Goldwyn, and Hesse (2003) system. We did not find gender differences in the use of dismissing versus preoccupied attachment strategies, and the AAI distributions were largely independent of language and country of origin. Clinical subjects showed more insecure and unresolved attachment representations than the norm groups. Disorders with an internalizing dimension (e.g., borderline personality disorders) were associated with more preoccupied and unresolved attachments, whereas disorders with an externalizing dimension (e.g., antisocial personality disorders) displayed more dismissing as well as preoccupied attachments. Depressive symptomatology was associated with insecurity but not with unresolved loss or trauma, whereas adults with abuse experiences or PTSD were mostly unresolved. In order to find more reliable associations with clinical symptoms and disorders, future AAI studies may make more fruitful use of continuous AAI scales in addition to the conventionally used categorical classifications. SN - 1469-2988 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/19455453/The_first_10000_Adult_Attachment_Interviews:_distributions_of_adult_attachment_representations_in_clinical_and_non_clinical_groups_ L2 - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14616730902814762 DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -