WHAT DO ADULT ATTACHMENT SCALES MEASURE

Research suggests that attachment patterns can be measured as early as 12 months of age and that in the absence of major environmental chang e, they persist into adulthood Evolving from three traditions, a numbe r of assessment tools have been developed to study adult attachment. T hey range from semiclinical interviews to brief questionnaires and exp lore different relationship domains, from retrospective accounts of ch ildhood experience to current romantic relationships. After exploring the theoretical background of the study of adult attachment, the autho rs review the format and the psychometric properties of several measur es. Studies that compare measures are described. The article concludes with a discussion of unresolved questions about adult attachment that emerge from various measurement perspectives.