The present study sought to analyze infant and maternal behavior both during the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) and a free play session in a Korean sample (N = 87) to help understand whether mother-infant attachment relationships are universal or culture-specific. Distributions of attachment classifications in the Korean sample were compared with a cross-national sample. Behavior of mothers and infants following the two separation episodes in the SSP, including mothers' proximity to their infants and infants' approach to the caregiver, was also observed, as was the association between maternal sensitivity observed during free play session and infant security. The percentage of Korean infants classified as secure versus insecure mirrored the global distribution, however, only one Korean baby was classified as avoidant. Following the separation episodes in the Strange Situation, Korean mothers were more likely than mothers in Ainsworth's Baltimore sample to approach their babies immediately and sit beside them throughout the reunion episodes, even when their babies were no longer distressed. Also, Korean babies less often approached their mothers during reunions than did infants in the Baltimore sample. Finally, the link between maternal sensitivity and infant security was significant. The findings support the idea that the basic secure base function of attachment is universal and the SSP is a valid measure of secure attachment, but cultural differences in caregiving may result in variations in how this function is manifested.
This study explored the links between two different methods of assessing children's attachment representations, a narrative task (the Manchester Attachment Story Task, MCAST) and a drawing task (the Family Drawing Task, FDT), in a clinical sample of 51 and a community sample of 45 Korean children aged 7-9. In both samples, attachment classifications derived from the MCAST were related to attachment classifications and global ratings derived from the FDT. In addition, rates of insecure attachment determined by MCAST classifications and by FDT global scales indicative of insecure attachment were higher in the clinical sample than the community sample. Variations in attachment patterns for these Korean samples are discussed in relation to Korean child-rearing customs. Results of this study contribute to the cross-cultural validation of both of these instruments, as well as extending our understanding of patterns of attachment in Korea from infancy to middle childhood.
This study aimed to develop and verify the effectiveness of an adventure play therapy program based on Adlerian theory and designed to increase community feeling among elementary school students. Adlerian constructs of self-encouragement, social interest, peer relations, and the Crucial Cs were the outcome measures. Participants were 32 grade five students attending an elementary school in Seoul, equally divided into the experimental and control groups. Ten counseling sessions over 5 weeks were conducted. The data were analyzed through independent variables t tests, repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA), and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), as applicable. The results indicated a significant increase in the following factors in the experimental group compared with the control group after program completion: self-encouragement (total score, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional self-encouragement subdomains); social interest (total score, attitudes, and behavioral subdomains); and peer relations (total score, instrumental aid, intimacy, and superiority subscales). Furthermore, the results of the trend analysis among the experimental group showed that the score of the Crucial Cs gradually increased with the number of sessions in the experimental group. Thus, the results indicate that adventure play therapy based on Adlerian theory is effective in promoting a sense of community among preadolescent children. This study proposes a remarkable new approach to child group counseling by integrating the major concepts of Adlerian theory and adventure-based counseling.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.