A validation of the Experiences in Close Relationships-Relationship Structures scale (ECR-RS) in adolescents.
Emerging evidence points toward a two-dimensional attachment construct: avoidance and anxiety. The Experiences in Close Relationships-Relationship Structures scale (ECR-RS; Fraley, Heffernan, Vicary, & Brumbaugh, 2011) is a questionnaire assessing two-dimensional relationship-specific attachment structures in adults and, hence, moves beyond the traditional focus on romantic relationships. The present article explored the psychometric abilities of the ECR-RS across parental and best friend domains in a sample of 15 to 18-year-olds (n = 1999). Two oblique factors were revealed across domains, exhibiting satisfactory construct validity, including factor-specific links to the model of adult attachment (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991), and independent factor discrimination between subgroups. A robust validation supports the application of the ECR-RS to assessing relationship-specific adolescent attachment structures.
a Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research , Aarhus University , Aarhus , Denmark.
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D000293:Adolescent; D003718:Denmark; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D011594:Psychometrics; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*