Attachment representations of school-aged Korean children: comparing family drawing and narrative assessments in a clinical and a community sample

ABSTRACT

This study explored the links between two different methods of assessing children’s attachment representations, a narrative task (the Manchester Attachment Story Task, MCAST) and a drawing task (the Family Drawing Task, FDT), in a clinical sample of 51 and a community sample of 45 Korean children aged 7–9. In both samples, attachment classifications derived from the MCAST were related to attachment classifications and global ratings derived from the FDT. In addition, rates of insecure attachment determined by MCAST classifications and by FDT global scales indicative of insecure attachment were higher in the clinical sample than the community sample. Variations in attachment patterns for these Korean samples are discussed in relation to Korean child-rearing customs. Results of this study contribute to the cross-cultural validation of both of these instruments, as well as extending our understanding of patterns of attachment in Korea from infancy to middle childhood.

KEYWORDS:

• Attachment representations
• middle childhood
• cross-cultural research
• family drawings
• narrative methods

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Sookmyung Women’s University Research Grants. We are grateful to mothers and children who participated for investing time and energy in this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

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Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Sookmyung Women’s University Research Grants.