The Adult Attachment Projective Picture System: a pilot study of inter-rater reliability and face validity with adults with intellectual disabilities

Deanna Gallichan*, Carol George

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

<jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title> <jats:p>The purpose of this paper is to assess whether the Adult Attachment Projective (AAP) Picture System is a reliable and face valid measure of internal working models of attachment in adults with intellectual disabilities (ID).</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title> <jats:p>The AAPs of 20 adults with ID were coded blind by two reliable judges and classified into one of four groups: secure, dismissing, preoccupied, or unresolved. Inter-rater reliability was calculated using <jats:italic>κ</jats:italic>. Six participants repeated the assessment for test-retest reliability. Two independent experts rated ten cases on the links between the AAP analysis and the clinical history.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title> <jats:p>There was significant agreement between AAP judges, <jats:italic>κ</jats:italic>=0.677, <jats:italic>p</jats:italic>&lt;0.001. Five out of six participants showed stability in their classifications over time. The majority of expert ratings were “good” or “excellent”. There was a significant inter-class correlation between raters suggesting good agreement between them <jats:italic>r</jats:italic>=0.51 (<jats:italic>p</jats:italic>&lt;0.05). The raters’ feedback suggested that the AAP had good clinical utility.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Research limitations/implications</jats:title> <jats:p>The inter-rater reliability, stability, face validity, and clinical utility of the AAP in this population is promising. Further examination of these findings with a larger sample of individuals with ID is needed.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title> <jats:p>This is the first study attempting to investigate the reliability and validity of the AAP in this population.</jats:p> </jats:sec>
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)57-66
Number of pages0
JournalAdvances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities
Volume12
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 5 Mar 2018

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