| 1. |
- Di Folco, Simona, et al.
(author)
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A Comparison of Attachment representations to Mother and Father using the MCAST
- 2020
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. - : Wiley. - 0036-5564 .- 1467-9450. ; 61:2, s. 243-252
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of the current study was to examine the factorial structure of the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task (MCAST), using a father doll to address the child's attachment representation to father. While the MCAST, a doll story completion task measuring attachment representations in early childhood, has been validated for use with a mother doll, its use for assessing attachment to father is relatively unexplored. Thus, an additional aim was to compare the factorial structure of the child's attachment representation to father and mother, respectively. We analyzed data from 118 first-grade children who underwent counterbalanced administration of the MCAST with a mother and father doll, respectively, within a period of three months. Exploratory factorial analysis revealed similar, three-factor solutions for attachment to father and mother, with a first factor capturing the child's (scripted) knowledge of secure base/safe haven and a second factor reflecting intrusive and conflict behavior. The third factor was different in the father and mother representations, capturing self-care and role-reversal in attachment to father and disorganization in attachment to mother. Findings support the potential usefulness of the MCAST for exploring the father-child relationship and highlight a need for further research on early attachment representations to father.
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| 3. |
- Psouni, Elia, et al.
(author)
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Scripted secure base knowledge and its relation to perceived social acceptance and competence in early middle childhood.
- 2015
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. - : Wiley. - 1467-9450 .- 0036-5564. ; 56:3, s. 341-348
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Attachment theory regards experiences with caregivers as the affective ground for the development of early images of self, possibly embedded in scripted secure-base knowledge as a rudimentary representation of early caregiver-child attachment relationships. However, the possible link between implicit representations of secure base availability - and the image of self in these representations - and explicit evaluations of self, is still unclear. The present study assessed whether implicit knowledge of secure-base interactions with caregivers is related to self-reported self-esteem in early middle childhood (N = 97 second-grade children). Results revealed that children with rich knowledge of secure base interactions perceived themselves not only as more accepted and appreciated by their peers and mothers but also as more cognitively competent, beyond actual differences in cognitive competence. Yet, given the limited strength of this link, the role of contextual factors beyond attachment ought to be considered in the assessment of self-perception in early middle childhood.
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