A01 Cultural Variations In Attachment

• Studies of cultural variations procedure

  Ijzendoorn and Kroonenburg collected a study to look at the proportions of secure, insecure avoidant/resistant attachments across a range of countries
• Studies of attachment

  Researchers located 32 studies of attachment where Strange Situation has been used to investigate the proportions of infants with different attachment types
• Countries where the strange situation was conducted

  32 studies conducted in 8 countries; 15 in USA. Data meta-analysed, results combined and weighted for sample size
• Findings of cultural variations (secure attachment)

  Wide variation between the proportions of attachment types in different studies. Secure attachment most common classification in all countries. But proportion varies from 75% in Britain to 50% in China
• Findings of cultural variations (Insecure-resistant attachment)

  Least common type. Proportions ranged from 3% in Britain to around 30% in Israel
• Findings of cultural variations (Insecure-avoidant attachment)

  Observed most commonly in Germany and least commonly in Japan
• Results within a country

  Variations between the results of studies within the same country were actually 150% greater than those between countries. USA one study was 46% securely attached and the other 90%
• Italian study

  Simonella et al assessed 76 12-month olds using strange situation in Italy. Found 50% were secure, 36% insecure-avoidant, lower rate of secure attachment that has been found in many studies
• Working Italian mothers

  Researchers suggest that low rates of secure attachment is because of increased number of mothers of very young children working long hours and use professional childcare
• Korean study

  Jin et al used strange situation to assess 87 children
• Korean study findings

  Overall proportions of insecure and secure babies were similar to those in most countries- most of infants were secure. However most of those who were classified as insecurely attached were resistant and only one child was avoidant
• Similar cultures

  Distribution was similar to Japan study in Ijzendoorn's study. Since Japan/Korea have similar child-rearing styles, this similarity might be explained in terms of child -rearing style
• Conclusion

  Secure attachment seems to be the norm in a wide range of cultures, supporting Bowlby's theory that attachment is innate and universal. However, researchers also clearly show that cultural practices have an influence on attachment type
• Places with highest secure attachment

  Great Britain 70-80%
• Place with highest insecure-avoidant attachment type

  Germany 40%
• Place with highest insecure-resistant attachment type

  Japan, around 30% and Israel 30%