Abstract
Background: This article reports on the analysis of a Child Attachment Interview using the
Dynamic Maturational Model (DMM) of attachment coding system developed by Crittenden for
use with the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). The aim of the study was to see if the two coders
could classify the child interviews using the DMM-AAI approach and produce the range of DMM
attachment strategies to be expected from previous research and the literature.
Methods: Two coders independently classified interviews with 41 children aged between 6 and
13 years with an average age of 9.8 years. In total, 24 of the children were from a local authority
middle school (the community children) and 17 were in foster care (looked-after children).
Results: The full array of DMM strategies was identified, with significant differences between the
community and looked-after children in terms of attachment security and lack of resolution of loss
and trauma. There was 100% agreement between coders on secure versus insecure attachment
patterns, a Kappa of .910 for the full range of DMM attachment strategies and Kappas of between
.655 and .773 for unresolved loss, trauma and depression. Discussion focuses on the strengths
and deficits of the use of the DMM compared with other published work on child attachment
interviews, the use of interviews to assess post-traumatic stress disorder in children and the
implications of defensive attachment strategies for services offered to looked-after children.
Dynamic Maturational Model (DMM) of attachment coding system developed by Crittenden for
use with the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). The aim of the study was to see if the two coders
could classify the child interviews using the DMM-AAI approach and produce the range of DMM
attachment strategies to be expected from previous research and the literature.
Methods: Two coders independently classified interviews with 41 children aged between 6 and
13 years with an average age of 9.8 years. In total, 24 of the children were from a local authority
middle school (the community children) and 17 were in foster care (looked-after children).
Results: The full array of DMM strategies was identified, with significant differences between the
community and looked-after children in terms of attachment security and lack of resolution of loss
and trauma. There was 100% agreement between coders on secure versus insecure attachment
patterns, a Kappa of .910 for the full range of DMM attachment strategies and Kappas of between
.655 and .773 for unresolved loss, trauma and depression. Discussion focuses on the strengths
and deficits of the use of the DMM compared with other published work on child attachment
interviews, the use of interviews to assess post-traumatic stress disorder in children and the
implications of defensive attachment strategies for services offered to looked-after children.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 516-534 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
Keywords
- Attachment interview, middle childhood, validity, dynamic maturational model, foster children, PTSD