Psychometric validation of Attachment Style Classification Questionnaire-Bangla (ASCQ-B) among secondary school...

The assessment of attachment styles has garnered significant attention in research as it provides valuable insights for implementing more precise psychological interventions. The Attachment Style Classification Questionnaire (ASCQ) serves as a widely recognized tool for peer attachment styles. Validated tools for assessing attachment styles among Bangladeshi secondary school students are lacking. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to translate the ASCQ into Bangla and validate it on secondary school students of Bangladesh.

Data was collected from students in grades 8-10, comprising a total of 801 participants (409 females and 392 males), with a mean age of 12.95 years and a standard deviation of 0.99. The respondents answered the ASCQ-B, the Beck Youth Inventory (BYI), and the Children's Revised Impact of Events Scale-13 (CRIES-13). We performed analyses based on classical test theory to validate the ASCQ Bangla (ASCQ-B) through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, measurement invariance, and reliability.

The exploratory factor analysis retained nine items and revealed a two-factor underlying structure. The confirmatory factor analysis conducted with the second-round data aligned with the two-factor latent structure comprising seven items (CFI 0.999, TLI = 0.997, RMSEA = 0.081; SRMR = 0.052). The rigorous analysis of measurement invariance conducted on the CFA samples indicated that the two-factor latent structure maintained its robustness across genders, with 200 males and 201 females participating in the study. Consistent with our hypothesis, both components of ASCQ-B demonstrated substantial positive correlations with BYI and CRIES-13, indicating sufficient concurrent validity and satisfactory reliability (McDonald's ω_t: Anxious = 0.91; Avoidant = 0.96. Test-retest reliability scores suggest that anxiety has a value of 0.79, while avoidance has a value of 0.81.

The psychometric evaluation of the 7-item ASCQ-B showed adequate reliability and validity.