A study of the Attachment Stability of Children Living in Different Family Types (A Longitudinal Study of Children from the Age of 6 to 11)

Abstract

This study aims to analyse the attachment stability of children living in different family types from the age of 6 to 11. The study sample comprises 56 children living in Muş, Turkey, including 28 nuclear families and 28 extended families. The “Incomplete Doll Family Story Scale” was used to evaluate the attachment styles of 6-year-old children. The attachment styles of 11-year-old children were evaluated with the “Kerns Secure Attachment Scale”. The analysis revealed that the attachment of 52% of the study group was stable. No changes were observed in the attachment styles of 52% of children living in nuclear families and 47% of children living in extended families, considering attachment consistency in family type. The results show that the attachment levels of children from both family types are significantly consistent from the age of 6 to 11, and the attachment stability of children living in nuclear families is stronger than children living in extended families.

Keywords

• Attachment stability
• extended family
• nuclear family
• early childhood
• middle childhood

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