Attachment representations of deaf adults.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Linguistics
• Deaf Studies

Background:

• Attachment theory is crucial for understanding adult relationships.
• The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) is a standard tool, but typically uses spoken language.
• Cultural and linguistic differences may impact AAI administration and interpretation for Deaf populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of adapting the AAI for culturally Deaf adults.
• To investigate if modifications in language (American Sign Language) and procedures impact AAI classifications.
• To compare attachment classifications in Deaf individuals to normative data.

Main Methods:

• The study involved 50 culturally Deaf adults.
• A modified AAI protocol was used, incorporating American Sign Language (ASL) and adjusted coding procedures.
• Attachment states of mind were analyzed based on the adapted AAI transcripts.

Main Results:

• The adapted AAI proved effective in assessing the attachment state of mind in Deaf individuals.
• Contrary to expectations, Deaf participants' transcripts were coherent, and Autonomous classification rates were similar to hearing populations.
• No evidence suggested residential schooling led to attachment with school staff.

Conclusions:

• The adapted AAI is a viable tool for assessing attachment in Deaf adults.
• Linguistic adaptations do not inherently reduce the quality or validity of AAI assessments for this population.
• Early separation experiences in residential schools did not appear to alter typical attachment patterns in the Deaf sample.