Validation of the Adult Attachment Questionnaire-Revised (CAA-r).

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Adult attachment styles significantly influence interpersonal relationships and psychological well-being.
• Existing measures may not fully capture the nuances of attachment dimensions.
• The need for a psychometrically sound instrument for both dimensional and categorical assessment of adult attachment is evident.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the Adult Attachment Questionnaire-Revised (AAQ-R) for dimensional and categorical evaluation of adult attachment.
• To enhance the assessment of avoidance and sensitivity dimensions.
• To validate the psychometric properties of the revised questionnaire.

Main Methods:

• The original questionnaire was expanded with eight new items.
• Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on the 35 items.
• Cluster analysis was used to confirm attachment style categorization.

Main Results:

• The EFA identified four affective dimensions: Anxiety, Socioemotional competence, Avoidance, and Anger.
• Cluster analysis supported Bartholomew's four-category model of adult attachment.
• The AAQ-R demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity.

Conclusions:

• The Adult Attachment Questionnaire-Revised is a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing adult attachment.
• The revised questionnaire provides a robust tool for both dimensional and categorical analysis of attachment styles.
• Findings support the utility of the AAQ-R in psychological research and clinical practice.