Validity and Reliability of the Attachment Insecurity Screening Inventory (AISI) 2-5 Years.
The Attachment Insecurity Screening Inventory (AISI) 2-5 years is a parent-report questionnaire for assessing attachment insecurity in preschoolers. Validity and reliability of the AISI 2-5 years were examined in a general sample (n= 429) and in a clinical sample (n= 71). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed a three-factor model of avoidant, ambivalent/resistant and disorganized attachment, and one higher-order factor of total attachment insecurity. Multi-group CFA indicated measurement invariance across mothers and fathers, and across the general and clinical population sample. Reliability coefficients were generally found to be good. We found partial support for convergent validity in associations between AISI-scores and observed attachment (AQS). Concurrent validity was supported by associations between AISI-scores and observed parental sensitivity (MBQS) and parent-reported psychopathology (SDQ). Finally, the AISI discriminated well between children from the general and from the clinical sample. We argue that both research and practice could benefit from the AISI as there is now a prospect of quickly, reliably and validly screening for attachment insecurity in pre-school aged children. Based on this information, help can be offered timely and, subsequently, the prevention of attachment related problems of children can be strengthened.
Department of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands ; Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Department of Child Development and Education, Forensic Child and Youth Care, P.O. Box 15776, 1001 NG Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Wissink
Department of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Colonnesi
Department of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Stams
Department of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Hoeve
Department of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Asscher
GGzE Department of Forensic Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
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MJ
Noom
Basic Trust (organization of specialists in education, attachment and adoption/foster care), Haarlem, The Netherlands.
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Polderman
Basic Trust (organization of specialists in education, attachment and adoption/foster care), Haarlem, The Netherlands.
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Kellaert-Knol
Attachment; Early childhood; Instrument development; Preschoolers; Validation study