Psicothema was founded in Asturias (northern Spain) in 1989, and is published jointly by the Psychology Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the Psychological Association of the Principality of Asturias (Colegio Oficial de Psicología del Principado de Asturias).
We currently publish four issues per year, which accounts for some 100 articles annually. We admit work from both the basic and applied research fields, and from all areas of Psychology, all manuscripts being anonymously reviewed prior to publication.
Tamara Sheinbaum1, Erika Bedoya1, Thomas R. Kwapil2 and Neus Barrantes-Vidal1,2,3,4
Background: Previous studies have provided mixed evidence in support of the structure of Bartholomew’s attachment framework. The current study examined the comparability of the correlations among the attachment prototypes as well as the underlying factor structure of the Relationship Questionnaire in independent samples of Spanish and American young adults. Method: Participants were 547 students from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and 1425 from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro who completed the Relationship Questionnaire. Results: Secure attachment was negatively correlated with fearful attachment, as was preoccupied attachment with dismissing attachment. The secure-fearful association in the American sample represented a medium effect size, whereas the remaining correlations represented small effect sizes. Except for the secure-fearful association, the correlations among prototypes were comparable in magnitude across samples. A principal components analysis yielded two factors that explained similar amounts of variance in the two samples. The pattern of loadings was relatively comparable in both samples; however, it was not entirely consistent with the theoretical model. Conclusions: The findings provided only partial support to the structure of the theoretical framework invoked. We discuss an alternative interpretation of the two factors, as well as further measurement considerations and directions for future research.
Comparación del apego en adultos jóvenes de España y Estados Unidos. Antecedentes: investigaciones previas han arrojado datos inconsistentes sobre la estructura del modelo de apego de Bartholomew. Este estudio investigó la comparabilidad de las correlaciones entre los prototipos de apego y la estructura factorial del Cuestionario de Relación en muestras independientes de jóvenes españoles y americanos. Método: un total de 547 estudiantes de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona y 1.425 de la University of North Carolina, Greensboro, completaron el Cuestionario de Relación. Resultados: el apego seguro y el temeroso correlacionaron negativamente, al igual que el preocupado y el rechazante. La asociación seguro-temeroso en la muestra americana representó un tamaño de efecto mediano, mientras que el resto de correlaciones representaron un tamaño de efecto pequeño. A excepción de la asociación seguro-temeroso, la magnitud de las correlaciones entre prototipos fue comparable en ambas muestras. El análisis de componentes principales arrojó dos factores que explicaron porcentajes similares de la varianza en las dos muestras. El patrón de cargas factoriales fue relativamente comparable en ambas muestras, pero no del todo consistente con lo esperado teóricamente. Conclusiones: los resultados proporcionaron apoyo parcial a la estructura del modelo teórico. Se presenta una interpretación alternativa de los factores, así como consideraciones de medición y direcciones para futuras investigaciones.
SPANISH
ENGLISH
https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2012.345