Mental representations of attachment among prospective Australian fathers.
Research into security or otherwise of infant attachment and its correlates is well established. Research into adult internal representations of attachment is still in its infancy. This emergent area of investigation is facilitated by a new measurement instrument, the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). This paper presents the first Australian report of the distribution of adult attachment classifications in a group of 62 men, prior to the transition to parenthood. Using the AAI, 35.4% of these men were classified as secure. This proportion is congruent with those reported by other investigators. Validity of the AAI is discussed and some theoretical questions related to the findings are raised.
Radojevic
M
M
Institute of Early Childhood, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales.
D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D005219:Father-Child Relations; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology; D009769:Object Attachment; D015588:Observer Variation; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010553:Personality Development; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results