Cassibba et al. (2013) Attachment the Italian Way (Edexcel A-Level Psychology): Revision Notes

Cassibba et al. (2013) Attachment the Italian way

Background

Rosalinda Cassibba, Giovanna Sette, Marian Bakermans-Kranenburg, and Marinus van IJzendoorn conducted the first meta-analysis of attachment types within Italy. They defined Italy as an individualistic Western culture that also possesses collectivistic characteristics, particularly an emphasis on family and dependence. This research provided the first comprehensive examination of how attachment patterns manifest in Italian society.

Participants

The meta-analysis included data from multiple studies:

• Children: 627 participants across 17 studies that used the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP)
• Adults: 2258 participants from studies using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) or similar attachment interviews

Participants represented both clinical (at-risk) and non-clinical samples from Italy. The research examined potential differences based on gender, age groups, and population type (clinical versus non-clinical).

Aim

The research had several objectives:

• To investigate whether the majority of Italian children and adults are classified as having secure attachment
• To discover whether Italian adults, particularly Catholics (who form the majority religious group), would show a lower percentage of unresolved attachments compared to other countries
• To examine whether children and adults from clinical samples vary in attachment type distribution compared to non-clinical samples
• To investigate potential gender differences in the distribution of attachment types

Procedure

Methodology

The researchers conducted a meta-analysis, synthesising data from existing studies. They gathered data from:

• PsycINFO: A psychology database of academic journals, using the keyword search terms 'Italian', 'attachment', and 'Strange Situation Procedure'
• Italian journals, publications, and doctoral dissertations to ensure comprehensive coverage

Selection criteria

The selection process identified 17 studies using the Strange Situation Procedure with 627 participants, and studies with 2258 participants using the Adult Attachment Interview or similar attachment interviews. Statistical tests were employed to compare SSP data with AAI data.

Comparison groups

The ratios of attachment types in Italian samples were compared to:

• American samples from Van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg's (1988) analysis for SSP data
• American data from Bakermans-Kranenburg and Van IJzendoorn's analysis for AAI data

The research assessed intercultural differences within Italy in terms of gender, age groups, and type of population.

Methodological controls

Findings

Children's attachment patterns

Non-clinical Italian children were classified as:

• 33% Type A (insecure-avoidant)
• 53% Type B (secure)
• 14% Type C (insecure-resistant)

Compared to the USA sample, Italian children showed more avoidant attachment patterns.

Clinical versus non-clinical children

Clinical and at-risk children demonstrated attachment patterns of:

• Type A: 40%
• Type B: 32%
• Type C: 28%

Italian clinical/at-risk children showed a higher proportion of insecure attachment and fewer secure attachment types compared to USA clinical samples. Additionally, there was a higher percentage of avoidant attachment among Italian clinical children compared to USA clinical children. Italian children with clinical/at-risk mothers appeared to be more avoidant and less secure in their attachments.

Adults' attachment patterns

In all samples of Italian mothers, the secure-autonomous category (F) was highest:

• 22% dismissing (Type D)
• 59% secure-autonomous (Type F)
• 19% preoccupied (Type E)

The combined samples of Italian non-clinical fathers showed a slight rise of dismissing fathers compared to mothers. Parents with children who have psychological problems were more likely to have E classification (preoccupied) and were often less secure, with a higher likelihood of unresolved loss. However, this pattern was not characteristic of the whole sample.

Unresolved attachments were under-represented in the Italian adult sample compared to expectations. When violence was evident in the family, there was an over-representation of Type D (dismissing) at 52%.

Gender differences

Testing gender differences between non-clinical fathers and non-clinical mothers did not produce a substantial difference in attachment classification.

Conclusion

The majority of non-clinical Italian infants were classified as securely attached. Similarly, the majority of non-clinical Italian adults were classified in the secure attachment category, demonstrating patterns remarkably similar to those in the normative American group.

Although these cross-cultural similarities support the universality hypothesis of attachment theory, the meta-analysis also revealed cultural differences. Both non-clinical and clinical Italian infants' distribution showed an over-representation of avoidant attachments. This pattern may be explained through differences between Italian and American childrearing practices.

Cultural explanations

Evaluation: Strengths

• This was the first meta-analysis of attachment in Italy, providing the scientific community with valuable insights into the distributions of infant, adolescent, and adult attachment across Italian society
• The research provides a useful comparison tool for analysing samples both in Italy and elsewhere, establishing baseline data for future research
• The researchers employed rigorous methodological controls, ensuring that only studies using the 'gold standard' Strange Situation Procedure were included for child-parent attachments
• Adult attachments were assessed using interviews with inter-rater reliability of at least 0.75, or using accredited adult attachment interviews endorsed by Mary Main
• These controls ensured accurate comparisons could be made between samples as they employed very similar procedures and coding measures
• The study used unpublished studies, doctoral dissertations, and conference papers to avoid the 'file drawer' effect where null findings are not published, making the sample more representative

Evaluation: Weaknesses

• Comparisons of the Strange Situation Procedure could only be made with 1992 data from America, questioning the contemporaneous validity of the data comparison
• The research does not address the father's role of attachments within Italy and America, which was also a limitation for Bowlby and his attachment theory
• Cassibba et al. admit that a lack of paternal attachment types still requires research, but this appears to be a global issue rather than specifically an Italian issue
• There is potential for experimenter bias as Cassibba et al. were using a database and specifying search words, meaning they may have dismissed studies they felt were inappropriate
• Although meta-analysis studies are normally time-saving and cost-effective, there is a tendency to be subjective about the data that is analysed
• There is no unanimous strategy for meta-analysis sample selection, and what may be considered appropriate research practices may not correspond to that of others; therefore, generalisation of results is limited
• The researchers employed specific databases and search terms which may have excluded relevant studies, potentially affecting the comprehensiveness of the findings
• The study relies on secondary data analysis, meaning the original researchers had control over data collection methods and any limitations in those original studies would carry through to this meta-analysis