University of Mississippi eGrove Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2014 The Adult Scale Of Parental Attachment-Short Form: Item Selection, Factor Structure, And Psychometric Properties Anthony Aron Michael University of Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd Part of the Counseling Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Michael, Anthony Aron, "The Adult Scale Of Parental Attachment-Short Form: Item Selection, Factor Structure, And Psychometric Properties" (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 462. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/462 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE ADULT SCALE OF PARENTAL ATTACHMENT-SHORT FORM: ITEM SELECTION, FACTOR STRUCTURE, AND PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES A Dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy in the Department of Leadership and Counselor Education The University of Mississippi By ANTHONY A. MICHAEL May 2014 Copyright Anthony A. Michael 2014 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine if an abbreviated version of the Adult Scale of Parental Attachment (ASPA; Snow, Sullivan, Martin, & Helm, 2005) could be developed with an emphasis on the instrument’s item selection, factor structure, and psychometric properties. The ASPA, building upon attachment theory, is a self-report measure that assesses individuals’ patterns of relating based on their relationships with both mother and father figures in childhood. Utilizing the conceptual underpinnings of Classical Test Theory and factor analysis, a 40-item version of the ASPA (called the ASPA-SF) was created from 1,075 archived responses through a test construction and test tryout. Building upon this procedure, the substantiation of the ASPA- SF was established through confirmatory factor analysis and validity to the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI; Parker, Tupling, & Brown, 1979) with a separate group of 250 archived responses. Lastly, the theory of the instrument was tested on a population of 222 prison participants to evaluate the factor structure and psychometric properties. While the reliability of the instrument was maintained, the validity of the ASPA-SF could not be verified in working with a prison population. Due to the 84-item length of the original ASPA, the study was significant as an abbreviated version of the ASPA has the potential to save time for both the participant and administrator, and contribute to counseling research literature on patterns of relating. Keywords: attachment theory, instrument development, self-report, patterns of relating ii DEDICATION As John Donne (1624) famously penned, “No man is an island; entire of itself.” This dissertation is dedicated to all of those who have invested in my life. Without your contributions, I would never been able to accomplish this feat. In particular, I also want to extend to my family and friends a sense of gratefulness for all of the support they have given me throughout this journey. To Todd Edwards – Your willingness to have a friendship with me when I was an adolescent helped altered the course of my life. I look forward to seeing you again, and I will strive to continue your legacy. To Deacon – I cannot imagine having a better best friend. Thank you for your friendship despite the miles, and for always encouraging me. To John and Ginny – You both are so dear to me. I am grateful for our relationships and the unique ability that we have to laugh together. To Mark and Jan – Thank you for believing in me. You will always hold a special place in our lives. Your dedication to helping families, and in particular, teens is unparalleled. To Phyllis Daniel – Thank you for your guidance throughout my journey to gain my LPC. Your perspective was invaluable. To Dr. Lockhart – You have helped to shape my professional identity in many ways; thank you for your belief in my abilities and for encouraging me to pursue doctoral studies. iii To Kevin, Susan, Ashley, and Melissa – I am thankful for my relationships with each one of you. I am glad that we had the opportunity to counsel with one another at Heartlight. To Grace Bible Church – Thank you for your support throughout this process. You have become like family to us here and we are grateful for all the wonderful relationships formed. To Captain – I’ve appreciated our long runs together, and the sanity they have provided. Now I just need to teach you how to read… To Uncle Paul – You are one of the best men that I know. You are humorous, generous, and thoughtful – all traits I admire. I hope that one day I am one-tenth of the man that you are. To Mema – I am so grateful for how you have accepted me as your own grandchild. I value your knowledge and wisdom. Your characteristics embody the attributes of strength and peace. To the Jackson Five – You all are great. I appreciate my relationship with each one of you. We are anticipating many memorable moments together in the future, as we will be only a few hours away from you all. To Seth, Brooke, and the girls – We have had some fun moments together in the past and I can’t wait for the memories to come. Seth, you will always be my brother. To Tim and Dana – I am glad that our family is continuing to grow and evolve. You both are essential figures in our lives. I look forward to spending more time together in the next phase of life. To Amber and the kids – I love you all more than you know. I have wished many times that we lived closer together. My hope is that now we will be able to spend more time together. I look forward to making up for memories that were lost because of this journey. iv To Katie – You have taught me about the importance of joy. You are my only little sister and I will always treasure our relationship. To Kristin – You are my only big sister. You taught me from an early age the importance of pursuing goals and the significance of using your intellect. At the end of your life, you taught me the significance of enjoying life no matter the circumstances. I have yearned along this journey to speak with you about how to handle different situations… I look forward to the new memories we will share together in eternity. To Dan – My big brother. Thank you for giving me a fighting spirit and for teaching me to never give up. I will always look up to you and admire what you do. I appreciate how you balance professional aspirations with your family. You are a remarkable man. To Karen – Your positivity has been amazing throughout this process. I appreciate the continual encouragement and support that you have provided. I am so thankful to have you as my mother-in-law. To Veldon – You are literally my second father. I value your wisdom in my life. Your kindness, generosity, and support have been such a significant blessing throughout this journey. I feel so fortunate to have married in to this family. To Mom - I am thankful for our relationship. I appreciate the value that you placed on education. You are a smart and gifted woman with a personality that easily connects to others. I am glad that you rubbed off a little of those attributes on me. To Sheila – Your influence on my life had and continues to have a profound impact on who I am. You have taught me about the importance of a mother’s nurture and care, and asked for nothing in return. You have always seen potential for my life. v To Dad – Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for teaching me to be contemplative and to pursue goals. Thank you for teaching me the importance of family and the priority that it has. Aside from your bad jokes, you are the best father I could have ever imagined. To Jonah – You were influential in helping me complete this program. Your timing for coming into this world was impeccable. You came two days before I defended my dissertation, as you somehow knew that I needed you to come before I presented. I am looking forward to our future memories together as father and son. To Wren – You have brought so much joy into my life. You have kept me grounded throughout this process to what is most important. You were six weeks old when I started this program and soon you will be three years old. You will always be my little girl and I will always cherish our relationship. To Ashley – No other person has made more sacrifices for this degree than you. You are the most amazing person I know. I feel like the most fortunate man in the world to be married to you. You have been calm, caring, and understanding of my time for this degree. Please know that I will support and encourage you to pursue your dreams, as you have done for me throughout this journey. This degree should have a * by it in honor of you. I love you… vi ACRONYMS Adjusted Goodness-of-Fit AGFI Adult Attachment Interview AAI Adult Attachment Projective AAP Adult Attachment Questionnaire AAQ Adult Attachment Scale AAS Adult Scale of Parental Attachment ASPA Adult Scale of Parental Attachment-Short Form ASPA-SF Attachment Style Questionnaire ASQ Classical Test Theory CTT Comparative Fit Index CFI Confirmatory Factor Analysis CFA Current Relationship Interview CRI Experiences in Close Relationships ECR Experiences in Close Relationships-Relationship Structure Questionnaire ECR-RS Exploratory Factor Analysis EFA Goodness-of-Fit Index GFI Incremental Fit Index IFI Internal Working Models IWM Item Response Theory IRT Likelihood Ratio Test LRT vii Maximum Likelihood ML Minimum Average Partial MAP Model chi-square χ2 Normed Fit Index NFI Parallel Analysis PA Parental Bonding Instrument PBI Principal Components Analysis PCA Principal Axis Factoring PAF Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire RAQ Relationship Questionnaire RQ Relationship Styles Questionnaire RSQ Revised Adult Attachment Scale RAAS Revised Experiences in Close Relationships ECR-R Root Mean Square Error of Approximation RMSEA Standardized Root Mean Square Residual SRMR Tucker-Lewis Coefficient TLC viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Dr.