Attachment Q-Set Research Articles

Attachment organization and treatment use for adults with serious psychopathological disorders

AbstractIndividual differences in attachment organization among adults with serious psychopathological disorders were related to strategies of treatment use. Forty young adults with serious psychopathological disorders were administered the Adult Attachment Interview (George, Kaplan, & Main, 1984), and their clinicians completed ratings of treatment use. Attachment organization was assessed using the Attachment Q-set (Kobak, 1989), yielding ratings of security/anxiety and avoidance/preoccupation. In preliminary analyses, diagnosis was found to be related to security, with greater security associated with affective rather than thought disorders. Gender was related to avoidance/preoccupation, with males having stronger avoidant tendencies than females. The effects of diagnosis and gender were partialled out of subsequent analyses. As predicted, greater security was associated with more compliance with treatment, as rated by clinicians. Stronger avoidant tendencies were associated with greater rejection of treatment providers, less self-disclosure, and poorer use of treatment. These findings suggest that attachment organization may be an important determinant of how individuals with serious psychopathological disorders approach attachment figures.

Measuring Attachment Security: Concurrent and Predictive Validity of the Parental Attachment Q-set

Abstract In this study, concurrent and predictive validity of Waters and Deane's (1985) Attachment Q-set was tested. We hypothesized that outcomes of the Attachment Q-set would converge with Strange Situation behavior and classification and that maternal responsiveness would correlate with security (as measured through the Attachment Q-set) but temperamental characteristics would not have a direct relation to security. Thirty-nine children (M = 18 months) and their mothers participated in the Strange Situation procedure and in a free play session in which maternal responsiveness was measured. Mothers completed the Attachment Q-set twice and also filled out Bates' Infant Characteristics Questionnaire (Kohnstamm, 1984). Results indicated a lack of concurrent validity: Strange Situation and Attachment Q-set outcomes did not converge. Although responsiveness was related to attachment as measured through the Strange Situation, it showed no overlap with security as measured through the Attachment Q-set. Security also appeared to be related in an unexpected way to difficultness and adaptability as measured through the ICQ. Therefore, we were unable to establish the predictive validity of the Attachment Q-set.