Universality and Normativity of the Attachment Theory in Non-Western Psychiatric and Non-Psychiatric Samples: Multiple Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA).

Naser Abdulhafeeth Alareqe,Sahar Mohammed Taresh,Mohamad Sahari Nordin,Samsilah Roslan

doi:10.3390/ijerph18115770

Abstract

This study tests for the first time the validity of universality and normativity assumptions related to the attachment theory in a non-Western culture, using a novel design including psychiatric and non-psychiatric samples as part of a comprehensive exploratory and advanced confirmatory framework. Three attachment assessments were distributed to 212 psychiatric outpatients and 300 non-psychiatric samples in Yemen. The results of the fourteen approaches of exploratory factor analysis (EFA) produce a similar result and assertion that the psychiatric outpatients tend to explore attachment outcomes based on multi-methods, while the non-psychiatric samples suggest an attachment orientation based on multi-traits (self–other). The multiple group-confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) demonstrates that the multi-method model fits the psychiatric samples better than the non-psychiatric samples. Equally, the MG-CFA suggests that the multi-traits model also fits the psychiatric samples better than the non-psychiatric samples. Implications of the results are discussed.

Highlights

The attachment theory originated with John Bowlby [1,2,3]
The results demonstrated that the four core assumptions of attachment theory on childhood studies confirmed the universality of attachment theory
The general purpose of this study is to evaluate the assumptions of universality and normativity of the attachment theory in cultures different from the original Western culture in whose context it was originally established

Summary

Introduction

The attachment theory originated with John Bowlby [1,2,3]. He practiced psychoanalysis with 44 juvenile thieves who exhibited psychopathic disorder symptoms [1,4]. Through his observations of these patients, Bowlby discovered that there were some fundamental problems in the ways the clients perceived and behaved in relationships. He theorized that the development of these problems had to have occurred early in their childhood. Bowlby [3] maintained that in organizing individual and subjective experiences, they had constructed internal working models, such as mental representations of the self and others.

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion