Members of Attachment Networks in Middle and Late Childhood: Development of An Attachment Function Scale for Children

The goal of the present study was to identify members of elementary school children’s attachment networks that were composed of multiple attachment figures. For this purpose, an attachment function scale for children was developed that measured the degree that various individuals fulfilled an attachment function for the child completing the instrument. In this cross-sectional survey, 555 fourth, fifth, and sixth graders from 2 elementary schools participated. First, the scale was developed, its validity confirmed, and its internal consistency checked. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the factor structure that was predicted on the basis of Hazan & Zeifman (1994). The relation between this scale, a social support scale, and a self-esteem scale verified its construct validity. Second, members of the children’s attachment networks were identified by use of this scale. In a previous study, mothers were shown to be attachment figures; in the present results, fathers, grandparents, siblings, friends, and others were also found to be attachment figures. These results suggest that elementary school children’s attachment networks include more members of their immediate family than just their mothers, and also include non-family members. Future research should be conducted from the perspective of attachment networks.