Convergent validity and stability of secure base script knowledge from young adulthood to midlife

Waters, Theodore E. A.; Facompré, Christopher R.; Dagan, Or; Martin, Jodi; Johnson, William F.; Young, Ethan S.; Shankman, Jessica; Lee, Yoojin; Simpson, Jeffry A.; Roisman, Glenn I.

doi:10.1080/14616734.2020.1832548

Cited by 33Attachment and Relationship DynamicsPsychoanalysis and Psychopathology ResearchIdentity, Memory, and Therapy

Convergent validity and stability of secure base script knowledge from young adulthood to midlife

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Waters, Theodore E. A., Facompré, Christopher R., Dagan, Or, Martin, Jodi, Johnson, William F., Young, Ethan S., Shankman, Jessica, Lee, Yoojin +2 more·2021·Attachment & Human Development

DOI 10.1080/14616734.2020.1832548

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Abstract

Attachment theory posits that early experiences with caregivers are made portable across development in the form of mental representations of attachment experiences. These representations, the secure base script included, are thought to be stable across time. Here, we present data from two studies. Study 1 (N = 141) examined the degree of empirical convergence between the two major measures of secure base script knowledge in Study 2, we examined stability of secure base script knowledge from late adolescence to midlife combining data from both a high- and normative-risk cohort (N = 113). Study 1 revealed evidence for convergent validity (r = .50) and Study 2 revealed moderate rank-order stability (r = .43), which was not moderated by cohort risk status. Results support the validity of secure base script knowledge assessments and prediction that attachment representations show moderate stability across early adulthood and into midlife.

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The secure base script task correlates highly and significantly (r = 0.50) with attachment interviews considered valid in attachment research.
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Secure base scripts are associated with maternal parenting behavior across contexts and reflective functioning among trauma-exposed mothers
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VII. SHARED AND DISTINCTIVE ANTECEDENTS OF ADULT ATTACHMENT INTERVIEW STATE-OF-MIND AND INFERRED-EXPERIENCE DIMENSIONS
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Stability and change in secure base script knowledge during middle childhood and early adolescence: A 3-year longitudinal study.
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Secure base scripted knowledge and preschoolers’ social competence in samples from Mexico and Peru
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Preschoolers’ secure base script representations predict teachers’ ratings of social competence in two independent samples
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The secure base script and the task of caring for elderly parents: implications for attachment theory and clinical practice
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Preschoolers’ secure base script representations in relations to social competence, maternal narrative style and content in a Korean sample
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The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of attachment-based family therapy for young adults with high suicidal ideation: protocol of a randomized controlled trial
Bockting, C., Bosmans, G., Bergers, N., Gavan, L., Hiligsmann, M., de Beurs, D., Molenberghs, G., Wijnen, B., Lokkerbol, J., & van der Spek, N. (2024) · Trials · doi:10.1186/s13063-024-08499-7 · Cited by 1 · see citing works

Authors: Waters, T. E. A., Facompré, C. R., Dagan, O., Martin, J., Johnson, W. F., Young, E. S., Shankman, J., Lee, Y., Simpson, J. A., & Roisman, G. I.
Affiliations: New York University Abu Dhabi (AE)
Stony Brook University (US)
York University (CA)
Widener University (US)
University of Minnesota (US)
University of Maine (US)
Corresponding author: Waters, Theodore E. A.
ORCID: Waters, Theodore E. A.
Dagan, Or
Martin, Jodi
Johnson, William F.
Young, Ethan S.
Shankman, Jessica
Lee, Yoojin
Simpson, Jeffry A.
Roisman, Glenn I.
Venue: Attachment & Human Development
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Published: 2020-10-12
Volume: 23
Issue: 5
Pages: 740-760
ISSN: 1461-6734 (ISSN-L)
1469-2988
DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2020.1832548
OpenAlex: W3092200832
Cited by: 33
References: 63
Citations by year: 2026: 3 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 1
FWCI: 2.46
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Locations: Attachment & Human Development (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
PubMed Central (submittedVersion)
Funders: National Institute on Aging (R01 AG039453)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (F32 HD078250)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
Keywords: secure base script, attachment representations, convergent validity, rank-order stability, attachment theory, secure base, high-risk cohort, early adulthood, midlife, late adolescence
MeSH terms: Adolescent, Adult, Humans, Object Attachment, Caregivers, Young Adult

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Convergent validity and stability of secure base script knowledge from young adulthood to midlife

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