The Security Scale as a measure of attachment: meta-analytic evidence of validity

Brumariu, Laura E.; Madigan, Sheri; Giuseppone, Kathryn R.; Abtahi, Mahsa Movahed; Kerns, Kathryn A.

doi:10.1080/14616734.2018.1433217

Cited by 60 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…security). Nevertheless, children's reports of attachment obtained by both questionnaire and narrative assessments are associated with many outcomes implied by attachment theory (Brumariu et al, 2018) and neither can be dismissed out of hand. We also need to replicate the study in a larger sample that is more representative of the Portuguese population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measurement invariance across mother/child and father/child attachment relationships

Fernandes

Veríssimo

Santos

et al. 2020

Attachment & Human Development

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We examine the factorial structure of the Security Scale Questionnaire (SSQ), exploring measurement invariance across mother-father-child attachment relationships, child sex, and country. We used the new 21-item SSQ version that integrates both safe haven and secure base behaviors in a two factors structure. Participants were 457 children (224 girls and 233 boys), ranging from 9 to 14 years old (M = 10.84, SD = 1.02) from Portuguese and USA samples. We confirmed the SSQ's two-factor structure, although four items were unrelated to the latent structure and excluded from the final model. Results showed that SSQ can be used to study both mother/child and father/child attachment relationships. Multi-group analyses suggested measurement invariance between boys and girls and between Portuguese and USA samples. Our findings suggest that the SSQ can be considered a valid and cost-effective tool to measure perceived attachment security in middle childhood for both mother/child and father/child relationships. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measurement invariance across mother/child and father/child attachment relationships

Fernandes

Veríssimo

Santos

et al. 2020

Attachment & Human Development

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“…During middle childhood, ABC has been shown to positively affect physiological regulation (Tabachnick et al, ) and brain development (Bick et al, ). Given that several studies demonstrate that children with secure perceptions of their parents show more competent adaptation in school contexts (Brumariu, Giuseppone et al, ; Brumariu, Madigan et al, ), exhibit more emotional and peer social competence (Brumariu, Giuseppone et al, ; Brumariu & Kerns, ; Brumariu & Kerns, ; Brumariu, Kerns, & Seibert, ; Brumariu, Madigan et al, ; Kerns et al, ; Madigan et al, ), have higher self‐esteem (Brumariu, Giuseppone et al, ; Brumariu, Madigan et al, ), and exhibit fewer behavioral problems than children with insecure perceptions (Brumariu, Giuseppone et al, ; Brumariu, Madigan et al, ; Madigan et al, ), it is encouraging that ABC's effects on attachment are sustained in middle childhood.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Security Scale is a self‐report questionnaire that assesses children's perceived attachment security to a particular parent. It is a moderately stable and robust measure of attachment in middle childhood and early adolescence and has been shown to be significantly associated with other measures of attachment (e.g., Strange Situation) and parental sensitivity (see Brumariu, Giuseppone et al, ; Brumariu, Madigan et al, for a review). Additionally, scores on the Security Scale are positively associated with school adaptation, emotional competence, and peer competence, and negatively associated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms (Brumariu, Giuseppone et al, ; Brumariu, Madigan et al, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is a moderately stable and robust measure of attachment in middle childhood and early adolescence and has been shown to be significantly associated with other measures of attachment (e.g., Strange Situation) and parental sensitivity (see Brumariu, Madigan et al, 2018 for a review). Additionally, scores on the Security Scale are positively associated with school adaptation, emotional competence, and peer competence, and negatively associated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms Brumariu, Madigan et al, 2018). For each of the 15 survey items, research assistants (who were blind to children's intervention status) presented children with two sentences.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To our knowledge, no study has examined the efficacy of an early intervention in promoting attachment security beyond 12 months postintervention (Stronach et al, 2013). This is a critical gap in the literature, given that secure attachment at later ages is associated with positive outcomes across a range of domains (e.g., Brumariu, Madigan et al, 2018). Findings from randomized clinical trials suggest that in addition to attachment organization, ABC enhances physiological regulation in infancy and early childhood among CPS-referred children (Bernard et al, 2012;Bernard, Hostinar, & Dozier, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sustained effects on attachment security in middle childhood: results from a randomized clinical trial of the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch‐up (ABC) intervention

Zajac

Raby

Dozier

2019

Child Psychology Psychiatry

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Background Interventions have been developed to promote the development of secure and organized attachments during early childhood among children who have experienced early adversity, yet little is known about whether the effects of these early interventions are sustained beyond 12 months postintervention. The current study examined whether receiving the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch‐Up (ABC) intervention during infancy led to improvements in perceived attachment security in middle childhood among 100 Child Protective Services (CPS)‐referred children. Methods Children and parents were randomized to receive ABC or a control intervention during infancy. Children completed the Kerns Security Scale at age nine (Mage = 9.46, SD = 0.36). (Trial Registry Name: Intervening Early with Neglected Children; Registry ID: NCT02093052; URL for registry: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02093052?term=dozier%26rank=1). Results Children whose parents received ABC reported higher levels of attachment security on the Kerns Security Scale at age nine than children whose parents had received the control intervention, t(98) = 2.31, p = .023, d = 0.49. Conclusions Findings underscore the long‐term benefits of intervening early to promote caregiving quality among at‐risk families and demonstrate the efficacy of a brief 10‐session intervention in promoting attachment security over the span of eight years in a sample of CPS‐referred children.

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Association of Screen Time With Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems in Children 12 Years or Younger

et al. 2022

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IMPORTANCE Currently, there is a lack of consensus in the literature on the association between screen time (eg, television, video games) and children's behavior problems.OBJECTIVE To assess the association between the duration of screen time and externalizing and internalizing behavior problems among children 12 years or younger.DATA SOURCES For this systematic review and meta-analysis, MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO databases were searched for articles published from January 1960 to May 2021. Reference lists were manually searched for additional studies.STUDY SELECTION Included studies measured screen time (ie, duration) and externalizing or internalizing behavior problems in children 12 years or younger, were observational or experimental (with baseline data), were available in English, and had data that could be transformed into an effect size. Studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic were excluded. Of 25 196 nonduplicate articles identified and screened for inclusion, 595 met the selection criteria.DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting guideline. Extracted variables were child age, sex, and socioeconomic status; informants and measurement type for screen time and behavior problems; study publication year; and study design and quality. Data were extracted by 2 independent coders and were pooled using a random-effects model. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESThe primary outcome was the association of screen time duration with externalizing (eg, aggression, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms) and internalizing (eg, depression, anxiety) behaviors or diagnoses. RESULTSOf the 595 full-text articles assessed for eligibility, 87 studies met all inclusion criteria, comprising 98 independent samples and 159 425 participants (mean [SD] age, 6.07 [2.89] years; 83 246 [51.30%] male). Increased duration of screen time had a small but significant correlation with more externalizing problems (90 samples; r, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.10-0.12) and internalizing problems (43 samples; r, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.05-0.08) in children. Several methodological moderators explained between-study heterogeneity. There was evidence of significant between study heterogeneity (I 2 = 87.80). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEThis systematic review and meta-analysis found small but significant correlations between screen time and children's behavior problems. Methodological differences across studies likely contributed to the mixed findings in the literature.

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The Security Scale as a measure of attachment: meta-analytic evidence of validity

Cited by 60 publications

References 82 publications

Measurement invariance across mother/child and father/child attachment relationships

Measurement invariance across mother/child and father/child attachment relationships

Sustained effects on attachment security in middle childhood: results from a randomized clinical trial of the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch‐up (ABC) intervention

Association of Screen Time With Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems in Children 12 Years or Younger

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