Constructing and validating a pictorial projection test for attachment assess in 6 to 12 years-old children

The main objective of this research is to construct and validate a picture projection test which is geared to assess the degree of attachment in children aged 6 to 12 years. The random sampling procedure involved 500 primary school children year 1 to 5 who studied in Karaj city and were assessed on the attachment scale. Drawing on the obtained results from 90 ‘unsafe’ children, a population of 30 pupils, boys and girls were randomly selected and were tallied in terms of sex, age, class level, and region with the results obtained from 30 children-boys and girls-out of a population of 410 pupils. A projection test was then administered on these 60 pupils. The following steps were taken in constructing the test: (1) interviews with children and adults; (2) identification of anxiety-generating situations; (3) analyzing the animals drawn in the paintings; (4) determination of content criteria on the basis of content analysis of the stories; (5) implementation of the three principles of safety, anxiety, and avoidance in analyzing the types of attachment; (6) designation of six anxiety-generating situations each of which was illustrated in the three stages of union, separation, and child-parent reunion. According to the obtained results, the attachment projection test has sufficient reliability and validity.