Methods for diagnosing the type of attachment to mother in older preschool age

Objective. The study aims to clarify the possibilities and limitations of using tests for joint activities and N. Kaplan’s projective technique to identify the type of attachment to the mother in older preschool age. Different approaches to determining the type of attachment to mother in older preschool age are considered. The materials of a two-stage empirical study are presented. Methods and materials. The study involved preschoolers (n = 51) attending senior groups of kindergartens in Moscow and their mothers (n = 51). At the first stage, two tests of joint activity were carried out in mother-child dyads (picture dialogue and construction), at the second stage, N. Kaplan’s projective technique was used only with children. In the process of observing work in mother-child dyads, in addition to the actual determination of the type of attachment, experts recorded assessments on 12 indicators, combined into 2 components — cognitive-activity and emotional. Results. The results obtained allow us to speak about the high consistency of the data obtained using two methods (tests for joint activity and the projective technique of N. Kaplan) — for 44 out of 51 children the results completely coincide. In addition, assessments of the cognitive-activity and emotional components of child-mother interaction are significantly higher in children with secure than insecure attachment type, determined using each method. Conclusions. It was revealed that both options for diagnosing the type of attachment (tests for joint activity, and N. Kaplan’s projective technique) are effective in older preschool age.

1. Abramyan, L.A. (1993). The emotional well-being of the child in the process of interaction with the mother. In: L.V. Pimenova (Ed.), Problems of humanization of the educational process in kindergarten. Perm: Publ. Perm State Humanitarian Pedagogical University. (In Russ.).
2. Almazova, O.V. (2015). Attachment to mother as a factor in relationships between adult siblings: Diss. Cand. Sci. (Psychol.). Lomonosov Moscow State University. Moscow. (In Russ.).
3. Borisova, I.A. (2007). Features of self-esteem of junior schoolchildren with different types of emotional attachment to mother: Diss. Cand. Sci. (Psychol.). Lomonosov Moscow State University. Moscow. (In Russ.).
4. Bowlby, J. Attachment. Moscow: Gardarika. (In Russ.).
5. Brish, K.H. (2014). Therapy for attachment disorders: from theory to practice. Moscow: Cogito-Center. (In Russ.).
6. Burmenskaya, G.V. (2005). Methods for diagnosing attachment to the mother of a child of preschool and primary school age. Psychological diagnostics, 4, 5—36. (In Russ.).
7. Burmenskaya, G.V. (2009). Child’s attachment to mother as the basis of developmental typology. Lomonosov Psychology Journal, 4, 17—31. (In Russ.).
8. Burmenskaya, G.V. (2011). Worldview of children with different types of attachment to their mother. Lomonosov Psychology Journal, 2, 21—35. (In Russ.).
9. Burmenskaya, G.V., Zakharova, E.I., Karabanova, O.A., Lebedeva, N.N., Leaders, A.G. (2007). Developmental psychological approach to counseling children and adolescents. Moscow: Publ. Moscow Psychological and Social Institute. (In Russ.).
10. Veraksa, A.N., Almazova, O.V., Bukhalenkova, D.A. (2024). The contribution of the character of child-parent relationships to the level of development of regulatory functions in senior preschool age. RFBR Journal, 4, 97—109. (In Russ). https://doi.org/10.22204/2587-8956-2024-119-04-97-109
11. Veraksa, N.E. (2022). Dialectical structure of preschool play. National Psychological Journal, 3(47), 4—12. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.11621/npj.2022.0302
12. Goshin, M.E., Grigoryev, D.S., Sorokin, P.S. (2023). Parental Strategies and Agency of Children Engaged in Extracurricular Activities during the Pandemic. Education and Self Development, 18(3), 116—134. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.26907/esd.18.3.08
13. Dorofeeva, E.E. (2023). Development of children’s artistic creativity in child-parent interaction. Preschool Education Today, 119(5), 42—55. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.24412/2782-4519-2023-5119-42-55
14. Kuftyak, E. (2012). Factors of development of coping behavior in children and adolescents. Psychological studies, 5(22). (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.54359/ps.v5i22.786
15. Kuftyak, E.V., Magdenko, O.V., Zadorova, J.A. (2021). Child’s attachment to mother as a predictor of psychological well-being in primary school age. The Education and Science Journal, 23(7), 122—146. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17853/1994-5639-2021-7-122-146
16. Mikulincer, M., Shaver, P.R. (2023). Attachment in adults: structure, dynamics and changes. Saint-Petersburg: Dialektika. (In Russ.)
17. Pupyreva, E.V. (2007). Emotional attachment to mother as a factor in the development of personal autonomy in primary school age: Diss. Cand. Sci. (Psychol.). Lomonosov Moscow State University. Moscow. (In Russ.).
18. Rudnova, N.A., Kornienko, D.S., Volkova, E.N., Isaeva, O.M. (2023). Parental digital mediation and its association with the psychological well-being in school-age children. The Art and Science of Television, 19(1), 175—198. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.30628/1994-9529-2023-19.1-175-198
19. Ryabkova, I.A., Mazmaniants, M.G. (2024). Teachers’ and psychologists’ attitude to a toy: the historical dynamics of value orientations in Russia. Lomonosov Psychology Journal, 47(2), 316—350. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.11621/LPJ-24-26
20. Sabitova, R.A., Bulygina, M.V. (2023). Relationships with Mother and peers in pre-adolescent children with insulin-dependent diabetes. Clinical Psychology and Special Education, 12(3), 121—140. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/cpse.2023120306
21. Smirnova, E.O. (2022). Psychological and pedagogical research of preschool childhood. Moscow: Moscow University Publishing House. (In Russ.).
22. Sukhikh, V.L., Veraksa, N.E., Gavrilova, M.N. (2023). Which toys do preschoolers need? Empirical evidence and theoretical basis for the toy's development potential evaluation. Voprosy psichologii, 69(1), 75—91. (In Russ.)
23. Chernaya, A.V., Margunova, Yu.A. (2022). Strategies for parents' response to negative emo-tions and empathic reactions of preschool children. Russian psychological journal, 19(2), 161—173. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.21702/rpj.2022.2.12
24. Yakupova, V. (2024). Thorns of parental love. Understand the actions of your parents and give yourself everything you didn’t receive in childhood. Moscow: MIF. (In Russ.).
25. Ainsworth, V., Blehar, M., Wall, S. Waters, E. (1978). Patterns of attachment: a psychological study of the strange situation. New-York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
26. Antonucci, T., Akiyama, H., Takahashi, K. (2005). Attachment and close relationships across the life span. Attachment and Human Development, 6(4), 353—370. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461673042000303136
27. Bartholomew, K., Horowitz, L.M. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61(2), 226—244. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.61.2.226
28. Bernier, A., Beauchamp, M.H., Carlson, S.M., Lalonde, G. (2015). A secure base from which to regulate: Attachment security in toddlerhood as a predictor of executive functioning at school entry. Developmental Psychology, 51(9), 1177—1189. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000032
29. Bretherton, I., Ridgeway, D., Cassidy, J. (1990). Assessing internal working models of the attachment relationship: An attachment story completion task for 3-year-olds. In: M.T. Greenberg, D. Cichetti, E.M. Cummings (Eds.), Attachment in the Preschool Years: Theory, Research, and Intervention, 273—308. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
30. Brumariu, L.E., Kerns, K.A. (2022) Parent–child attachment in early and middle childhood. In: P.K. Smith, C.H. Hart (Eds.), The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Childhood Social Development, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119679028.ch23
31. Cassidy, J. (2001). Truth, lies, and intimacy: An attachment perspective. Attachment and Human Development, 3, 121—155. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616730110058999
32. Cassidy, J., Marvin, R.S., with the MacArthur Working Group on Attachment (1992). Attachment organization in three- and four-year-olds: Procedures and coding manual. Unpublished manuscript, University of Virginia.
33. Crittenden, P.M. (1992). Quality of attachment in the preschool years. Development and Psychopathology, 4(2), 209—241. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579400000110
34. Deneault, A.A., Bureau, J.F., Duschinsky, R., Fearon, P., Madigan, S. (2023). A meta-analysis of the distribution of preschool and early childhood attachment as assessed in the strange situation procedure and its modified versions. Attachment and Human Development, 25(2), 322—351. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2023.2187852
35. Dindo, L., Brock, R.L., Aksan, N., Gamez, W., Kochanska, G., Clark, L.A. (2017). Attachment and effortful control in toddlerhood predict academic achievement over a decade later. Psychological Science, 28(12), 1786—1795. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797617721271
36. Dubois-Comtois, K., Suffren, S., Lemelin, J.P., St-Laurent, D., Daunais, M.P., Milot T. (2024). A longitudinal study of child adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic: the protective role of the parent-child relationship in middle childhood. Attachment and Human Development, 26(4), 301—324. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2024.2365192
37. Ecer, E. (2022). Attachment-related anxiety and religiosity as predictors of generalized self-efficacy and dispositional hope. Psychology in Russia: State of the Art, 15(3), 21—37. https://doi.org/10.11621/pir.2022.0302
38. Emails, R., Kamkari, K., Shokrzadeh, S., Davaee, M. (2021). A cross-sectional study on the relationship between maternal attachment styles and child cognitive functions. Chronic Diseases Journal, 9(2), 85—89. https://doi.org/10.22122/cdj.v9i2.600
39. George, C., Kaplan, N., Main, M. (1996). Adult Attachment Interview. 3rd Unpublished materials, University of California at Berkeley.
40. Green, J.M., Stanley, C., Smith, V., Goldwyn, R. (2000). A new method of evaluating attachment representations on young school age children: the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task. Attachment and Human Development, 2(1), 48—70. https://doi.org/10.1080/146167300361318
41. Greenberg, M.T., Cicchetti, D., Cummings, E.M. (1993). Attachment in the Preschool Years: Theory, Research, and Intervention. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
42. Gross, J.T., Stern, J.A., Brett, B.E., Cassidy, J. (2017). The multifaceted nature of prosocial behavior in children: Links with attachment theory and research. Social Development, 26(4), 661—678. https://doi.org/1111/sode.12242
43. Hsiao, C., Koren-Karie, N., Bailey, H., Moran, G. (2014). It takes two to talk: Longitudial associations among infant-mother attachment, maternal attachment representations, and mother-child emotion dialogues. Attachment and Human Development, 17(1), 43—64. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2014.981671
44. Ivanov, M.V., Boksha, I.S., Balakireva, E.E., Klyushnik, T.P. (2022). Epidemiological study on the early detection of mental disorders in young children in Russia. Consortium Psychiatricum, 3(4), 18— https://doi.org/10.17816/CP208
45. Jacobsen, T., Edelstein, W., Hofmann, V. (1994). A longitudinal study of the relation between representations of attachment in childhood and cognitive functioning in childhood and adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 30(1), 112—124. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.30.1.112
46. Laible, D.J., Thompson, R.A. (1998). Attachment and emotional understanding in preschool children. Developmental Psychology, 34(5), 1038—1045. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.34.5.1038
47. Laranjo, J., Bernier, A., Meins, E., Carlson, S.M. (2024). The roles of maternal mind-mindedness and infant security of attachment in predicting preschoolers’ understanding of visual perspective taking and false belief. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 125, 48—62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2014.02.005
48. Main, M., Cassidy, J. (1988). Categories of response to reunion with the parent at age 6: predictable from infant attachment classifications and stable over a 1-month period. Developmental Psychology,24(3), 415—426. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.24.3.415
49. Mares, S., McMahon, C. (2020). Attachment security: Influences on social and emotional competence, executive functioning and readiness for school. In: R. Midford, G. Nutton, B. Hyndman, S. Silburn (Eds.). Health and Education Interdependence, 55—74. Singapore: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3959-6_4
50. McKay, J.M., Pickens, J., Stewart, A.L. (1996). Inventoried and observed stress in parent–child interactions. Current Psychology, 15, 223—234. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02686879
51. Mikulincer, M., Shaver, P.R. (2021). Enhancing the “broaden-and-build” cycle of attachment security as a means of overcoming prejudice, discrimination, and racism. Attachment and Human Development, 24(3), 260—273. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2021.1976921
52. Salo, S., Flykt, M., Mäkelä, J., Lassenius-Panula, L., Korja, R., Lindaman, S., Punamäki, R. (2020). The impact of Theraplay therapy on parent-child interaction and child psychiatric symptoms: a pilot study. International Journal of Play, 9(3), 331—352. https://doi.org/10.1080/21594937.2020.1806500
53. Solomon, J., George, C., De Jong, A. (1995). Children classified as controlling at age six: Evidence of disorganized representational strategies and aggression at home and at school. Development and Psychopathology, 7(3), 447—463. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954579400006623
54. Sukhikh, V.L., Veresov, N.N., Gavrilova, M.N. (2023). Playing with a doll family: key characteristics of junior preschoolers’ play behavior. RUDN Journal of Psychology and Pedagogics, 20(3), 446—463. https://doi.org/10.22363/2313-1683-2023-20-3-446-463
55. Tošić, M., Baucal, A., Stefanović-Stanojević, T. (2013). The relationship between attachment and cognitive development. Zbornik Instituta za pedagoska istrazivanja, 45(1), 42—61. https://doi.org/10.2298/ZIPI1301042T
56. Zhang, W., Wang, M., Ying, L. (2019). Parental mindfulness and preschool children’s emotion regulation: the role of mindful parenting and secure parent-child attachment. Mindfulness, 10, 2481—2491. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-019-01120-y