Assessing adult attachment in taiwan: validity and reliability of traditional chinese short forms of the experiences in close relationships-revised and their implications for attachment mechanisms

Vollständiger Abstract

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Abstract Attachment insecurity plays a significant role in shaping emotion regulation processes and relational functioning throughout adulthood. Although the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) is a preeminent measure of adult attachment, verifying the psychometric adequacy of its short forms is essential for capturing developmental trajectories and attachment-related mechanisms under varying levels of relational stress, particularly in non-Western contexts. Addressing these gaps is critical for advancing the assessment of attachment-related mechanisms across diverse populations. The present study systematically evaluated five short forms of the Traditional Chinese version of the ECR-R (CECR-R-18, CECR-R-16, CECR-R-12, CECR-R-10, and CECR-R-8) across three independent Taiwanese samples representing distinct stages and contexts of adulthood: nonclinical college students (Sample 1), community adults (Sample 2), and trauma-exposed adults (Sample 3). Study 1 demonstrated that the original two-factor structure (attachment anxiety and avoidance) was superior for both the CECR-R-18 and CECR-R-10, showing structural stability across diverse developmental cohorts and satisfactory internal consistency. Study 2 established robust construct validity for both versions within nonclinical populations (Samples 1 and 2). Study 3 focused on adaptive processes by evaluating the CECR-R-10 in a trauma-exposed sample (Sample 3). Notably, the CECR-R-10 maintained a stable structure and revealed theoretically coherent associations with attachment-related vulnerabilities, with elevated attachment anxiety observed among individuals reporting interpersonal trauma and problematic alcohol use. These findings highlight attachment anxiety as a key underlying mechanism of maladaptive coping and emotional dysregulation under adversity. Overall, the CECR-R-10 is a brief, psychometrically sound instrument capable of tracking attachment processes and adaptive outcomes across different phases and conditions of adulthood in Taiwanese populations.