Validierung eines Interaktionsbeobachtungsverfahrens zur Erfassung mütterlicher Feinfühligkeit bei Kindern im Kindergartenalter

Abstract

The relation between parental sensitivity and attachment security is well proven for infancy (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters & Wall 1978; van Ijzendoorn & Bakermans-Kranenburg 2004); however, it is less proven for the preschool years. In addition, there is a lack of assessment procedures for this developmental age. This is especially true for assessing parental sensitivity in clinical contexts. One of the instruments that are especially operationalized for clinical purposes is the CARE-Index (Crittenden 2005, 2006). The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the CARE-Index, which has originally been designed for children between 15 and 30 months, in the preschool years. The results confirmed the reliability of the CARE-Index used with children between 2.5 and 5.5 years and their mothers. The results further supported the use of the CARE-Index as a valid method for assessing maternal sensitivity in the preschool years. However, the scale "sensitivity of the mother" could not differentiate between insecure and highly insecure attached children. With respect to this, and, in addition, with respect to the relation between risk and maternal sensitivity further research with the focus on children at risk is needed. The results are a first step for using the CARE-Index as both an economical (3 - 5 minutes data collection, 20 minutes data analysis) and promising instrument for children beyond toddlerhood in clinical contexts.