The Adult Attachment Scale (AAS) consists of 18 items scored on a 5 point likert-type scale. It was developed with a sample of undergraduate students. It measures adult attachment styles named “Secure”, “Anxious” and “Avoidant”, defined as:
• Secure = high scores on Close and Depend subscales, low score on Anxiety subscale
• Anxious = high score on Anxiety subscale, moderate scores on Close and Depend subscales
• Avoidant = low scores on Close, Depend, and Anxiety subscales
Authors
Nancy L. Collins, Stephen J. Read
Reliability and Validity
Collins & Read (1990) reported Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of .69 for Close, .75 for Depend, and .72 for Anxiety. Test-retest correlations for a 2-month period were .68 for Close, .71 for Depend, and .52 for Anxiety.
References
Collins, N. L., & Read, S. J. (1990). Adult attachment, working models, and relationship quality in dating couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58(4), 644-663.
