Self-reported attachment style, attachment quality, and symptoms of anxiety and depression in young adolescents

The Attachment Questionnaire for Children (AQ-C) is a simplified version of Hazan and Shaver’s (1987) single-item measure of attachment style [Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 511–524]. Briefly, children are provided with three descriptions concerning their feelings about and perception of relationships with other children. Children are instructed to choose the description that applies best to them. In this way, children classify themselves as either securely, avoidantly, or ambivalently attached. The present study investigated the validity of the AQ-C in a sample of 12–14 year-old adolescents (N=155). Participants were asked to complete the AQ-C, the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment as a measure of attachment quality, and scales of anxiety and depression. Results indicated that adolescents who classified themselves as securely attached displayed a higher quality of attachment than adolescents who classified themselves as insecurely (i.e. avoidantly or ambivalently) attached. Furthermore, securely attached adolescents scored significantly lower on anxiety and depression than insecurely attached adolescents. Altogether, these findings support the validity of the AQ-C.