The Computerised Manchester Child Attachment Story Task: a novel medium for assessing attachment patterns

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Child Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• The Manchester Child Attachment Story Task (MCAST) is a validated method for assessing attachment in school-aged children.
• A digital adaptation, the Computerised Manchester Child Attachment Story Task (CMCAST), has been developed using animated screen 'dolls' for story stems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a preliminary validation of the CMCAST against the established MCAST.
• To assess the reliability, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness of the CMCAST.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-five children completed both MCAST and CMCAST in a randomized order, six weeks apart.
• A simplified MCAST coding system was adapted for CMCAST ratings.
• Inter-rater reliability and agreement between MCAST and CMCAST were calculated using kappa statistics.
• A feasibility study involving 86 children assessed CMCAST administration in a school setting.

Main Results:

• High inter-rater reliability was achieved for both MCAST (kappa = 0.93) and CMCAST (kappa = 0.91).
• Agreement between MCAST and CMCAST attachment security ratings was substantial (kappa = 0.67).
• Costs were comparable, and the CMCAST was found to be feasible for simultaneous administration with small groups of children.

Conclusions:

• The CMCAST reliably reproduces a simplified MCAST coding, demonstrating its validity as a digital assessment tool.
• The computerised format offers potential advantages for large-scale epidemiological research and screening.
• CMCAST presents a viable, cost-effective, and reliable alternative for assessing child attachment patterns.