Child-caregiver Attachment Representations in a Non-Western Context: The Feasibility and Cultural Equivalence of Story Stems in Urban Ghana

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• 作者：Ming Wai Wan ; Adam Nyarkoh Danquah and Sheriffa Mahama
• 刊名：Social Development
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：February 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：26
• 期：1
• 页码：59-79
• 全文大小：132K
• ISSN：1467-9507

文摘

Story stem measures are an increasingly popular method for assessing the attachment representations of young children, but little is known of their cross-cultural applicability. This study aimed to characterise the attachment representations in 73 five- to eight-year-old children in urban Ghana, West Africa, using the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task (MCAST) to test its feasibility, psychometric characteristics and concurrent associations with caregiver- and teacher-rated child behaviour, and to conduct a qualitative thematic analysis of methodological observations. Among the classifiable cases (92 percent), all attachment classifications were observed, yielding a higher rate of secure attachment than in European samples. Inter-rater reliability, internal consistency, and internal structure were reasonable and largely similar to European studies, although one structural difference was the separation of ‘child assuagement of distress’ from other secure-related items. MCAST narratives were associated with teacher- and caregiver-rated hyperactivity, but internal consistency was low in most Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire scales. Possible culturally-sensitive explanations for our psychometric and qualitative findings are discussed. Overall, story stems are a promising tool for accessing attachment representations in non-Western samples, although modifications are likely to improve cross-cultural equivalence when applied to non-Western cultures. Further investigation is needed to link MCAST outcomes to parenting and socio-emotional development.