Ge. Heiss et al., 5 SCALES IN SEARCH OF A CONSTRUCT - EXPLORING CONTINUED ATTACHMENT TOPARENTS IN COLLEGE-STUDENTS, Journal of personality assessment, 67(1), 1996, pp. 102-115
The multitude of measures and differences across self-report indices o
f continued parental attachment raise questions regarding the validity
and meaning of these scales. The purpose of this study was to examine
the convergent and construct validity of 5 measures of continued pare
ntal attachment. Five attachment scales and 6 personality scales were
administered to 216 undergraduate students. Factor analyses and correl
ational analyses indicate that the 5 attachment measures differentiate
healthy from pathological bonding with parents, the construct being a
ssessed has multiple dimensions, and scores on these attachment measur
es are correlated with personality variables as would be expected. The
se attachment scales appear to assess a construct that is related to a
ttachment, although they may be more illustrative of the general affec
tive quality of relationships. Subsequent assessment efforts should em
ploy more specific ratings and measure concrete behavioral manifestati
ons of attachment to most effectively examine the construct.