title: Attachment representations in 6-year-olds: related longitudinally to the quality of attachment in infancy and mothers' attachment representations.
abstract: A new method to assess attachment representations in children by applying a story completion procedure in doll play (SCPDP) is presented. Transmission and continuity of attachment were tested in 28 German families by using the Strange Situation procedure (SS) with the mother and her infant, the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) with the mother when the child is 5 years old, and the attachment representations (SCPDP) of the 6-year-olds. Relying on the twofold distinction (secure/insecure), results revealed a significant continuity of attachment from 1 to 6 years of age, and a correspondence between maternal AAI and child's attachment quality in SS, as well as a correspondence between maternal AAI and the 6-year-olds' attachment representations. Using configural frequency analysis, we found continuity in patterns of security and insecurity when looking across the measures of infant and pre-school attachment and maternal adult attachment. Processes underlying the high match of mothers' and children's attachment representations are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Institute of Education, Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Universitaetsstrasse 1, D-40225 Duesseldorf, Germany. Gloger-Tippelt@phil-fak.uni-duesseldortf.de
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gloger-Tippelt
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gomille
authors.forename: Lilith
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Koenig
authors.forename: Juergen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vetter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009769:Object Attachment