A meta-analysis on the rate of attachment classifications of infants in the strange situation paradigm: distribution across cultures and demographic variables
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Date
2019
Authors
Clayton, Kylee
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Abstract
The Strange Situation Paradigm (SSP) is the gold standard measurement of attachment in infants. It provides four categorical attachment classifications: secure, insecure-ambivalent, insecure-avoidant, and disorganized (Ainsworth et al., 1978; Main & Solomon, 1990). Since this measure was designed with a middle-class North-American sample, there are concerns that the SSP may be biased with other cultural groups (e.g., Quinn & Mageo, 2013). A series of meta-analyses using the random-effects model were conducted to discern the overall rate of attachment classifications and whether the distribution varies across cultures and demographic variables (Study 1) and to assess the rates of underlying classification of infants with a disorganized attachment into the traditional three-category classification system (secure, insecure-ambivalent, and insecure-avoidant; Study 2). The following databases were searched: PsycINFO, Medline, ERIC, Scopus, Proquest Dissertations & Theses, Persée, FRANCIS, Érudit, CAIRN, and Google Scholar. Studies were included in Study 1 if they contained rates of all four attachment classifications from the SSP and followed the procedure and coding that was outlined by Ainsworth et al. (1978) and the disorganized attachment classification coding by Main and Solomon (1990). In Study 1, the overall weighted mean rate of secure attachment ranged from 44% to 60% across the types of samples. There was minimal variability across the types of samples for the avoidant (14% to 15%) and ambivalent classifications (8% to 11%). For the disorganized attachment classification, the weighted mean rate ranged from 15% in community samples to 28% and 30% in at-risk samples. There was no evidence of cultural biases across the analyses. The results of Study 2 indicated that approximately a third of infants classified as disorganized have an underlying classification of secure, which is incongruent with the conceptualization of disorganized attachment as the most problematic attachment classification. The results of the studies support the use of the 4-category classification system over the 3-category classification system. Moreover, the findings draw awareness to important issues within the SSP literature and provided recommendations for how researchers can proceed to rectify these issues.
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Keywords
attachment, strange situation, infants, meta-analysis