Poster #136 - Foster mothers’ attachment state of mind: Convergent validity between the AAP and AAI.

• In Event: 1-005 - Poster Session 01
  In Poster Session: PS 01 Section - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Integrative Statement

Attachment representations of foster mothers are known to influence the quality of the relationship that will be developed by the infant under their care (Dozier, Stoval, Albus et Bates, 2001). The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) (George, Kaplan et Main, 1996) and the Adult Attachment Projective (AAP) (George et West, 2001) are two measures that assess adult attachment representations. Categories are based on the evaluation of unconscious defensive processes. In previous research, the authors of the AAP found strong agreement between AAI and AAP classifications in various populations (George et West, 2003, 2001, 2011). The convergence between underlying scales of each measure assessing security such as coherence of mind, agency of self and metacognitive processes has never been studied. Furthermore, none of those studies address convergence between the AAI and the AAP in a sample of foster mothers. The present study aims to assess convergence of attachment classification and narrative processes between the AAP and AAI, administered in separate home visits, in a sample of 54 foster mothers living in the province of Quebec. Eleven mothers withdrew from the study after the first visit and one administration was invalid, leaving 42 mothers for the analyses. Results indicated that the attrition mainly concerned foster mothers classified as preoccupied (E) by the AAP. Convergent validity found between the two measures when participants were divided into autonomous and non-autonomous groups is 76% (kappa=0.47, p < 0.001) and convergence for the four groups (autonomous, preoccupied, dismissing and unresolved) is 78% (kappa=0.19, p < 0.05). Participants were compared on two indicators of security, internal secure based (ISB: AAP) which is the capacity to feel content and to be able to engage in self-reflection when facing solitude and metacognitive process in the AAI. Results show that foster mothers presenting more ISB in their stories have a higher score on the metacognitive process scale in the AAI (r=0,38, p<0,05). Participants were also compared according to their score of coherence obtained on the two measures. Results show that there is no significative correlation between the score of a participant on the scale of coherence of mind in AAI and an average coherence score in AAP (r=0,35, p=0,056) which means that the score of coherence obtained in a measure can’t predict the score that the participant will get in the other measure. Errors during the administration may explain some of the divergences between classifications. Therefore, the two measures show significant convergence, yet there are indications that they are tapping different aspects of maternal state-of-mind. This study also indicates the importance to assess attachment representations of foster mothers in order to indicate support interventions that can promote the development of a positive attachment bond in foster children. Testing procedures must also be studied as each measure reveals distinct aspects assessed.

Authors

• Raphaelle Lafond-de Courval, Université de Montréal
  Presenting Author

• Marie-Julie Béliveau, Université de Montréal
  Non-Presenting Author

• Ellen Moss, Université du Québec à Montréal
  Non-Presenting Author

• Dominique Pallanca, Université du Québec à Montréal, CHU Ste-Justine
  Non-Presenting Author