The Vulnerable Attachment Style Questionnaire (VASQ) is a self-report tool to assess adult attachment style in relation to depression.
Basic information |
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Statements: | 22 |
Duration: | 5–10 minutes |
Type: | self-report tool |
Authors: | Antonia Bifulco et al. |
Publishing year: | 2003 |
Seminal paper: | The Vulnerable Attachment Style Questionnaire (VASQ): an interview-based measure of attachment styles that predict depressive disorder (Bifulco et al., 2003) |
Take the test here:
What it tests
This VASQ gives a measure of vulnerable attachment style, with the main purpose to predict psychopathology—which has long been a concern of attachment theory[1]The making and breaking of affectional bonds: I. Aetiology and psychopathology in the light of attachment theory (Bowlby, 1977)—in the form of major depression.[2]The Vulnerable Attachment Style Questionnaire (VASQ): an interview-based measure of attachment styles that predict depressive disorder (Bifulco et al., 2003)
The VASQ measures attachment insecurity based on two factors:[3]The Vulnerable Attachment Style Questionnaire (VASQ): an interview-based measure of attachment styles that predict depressive disorder (Bifulco et al., 2003)
- Insecurity — A range of feelings and attitudes relating to discomfort with—or barriers to—closeness with others, including inability to trust, and hurt or anger at being let down.
- Proximity-seeking — Other-dependence or approach behavior (e.g. missing the company of others when alone, becoming anxious when significant others are away).
It seems that these two factors in some way relate to what the research literature on attachment generally describes as avoidant traits (lack of proximity-seeking) and anxious traits (insecurity), although it seems that the insecurity factor is also associated with avoidance.
Both the total VASQ score and the insecurity score were related to disorder, to poor support, and to the interview assessment of marked insecurity.[4]The Vulnerable Attachment Style Questionnaire (VASQ): an interview-based measure of attachment styles that predict depressive disorder (Bifulco et al., 2003)
Taking the test
The VASQ consists of 22 statements, giving you 5 choices for each statement:[5]The Vulnerable Attachment Style Questionnaire (VASQ): an interview-based measure of attachment styles that predict depressive disorder (Bifulco et al., 2003)
- Strongly Disagree
- Disagree
- Unsure
- Agree
- Strongly Agree
The 22 statements relate to 2 factors of attachment insecurity:[6]The Vulnerable Attachment Style Questionnaire (VASQ): an interview-based measure of attachment styles that predict depressive disorder (Bifulco et al., 2003)
- 12 statements (scale 1: insecurity)
- 10 statements (scale 2: proximity-seeking)
Scoring
- Scoring range: 22–110
- Total VASQ score: 57↑
- Factor 1: insecurity: 30↑
- Factor 2: proximity-seeking: 27↑
- All items are scored 1–5, with higher scores reflecting greater attachment insecurity.
Any scores above the threshold values are considered high/significant, while all scores below these values are considered low. But to be more specific, the table below shows what high or low scores on either of the subscales mean.[7]The Vulnerable Attachment Style Questionnaire (VASQ): an interview-based measure of attachment styles that predict depressive disorder (Bifulco et al., 2003)
Associations
The table below shows the constructs that the VASQ and its subscales are associated with.
And in the table below, you can find more information on what those associated attachment styles/categories mean.
High & lower scorers
So what did people with different attachments actually score? In the table below, you can see that those with a Fearful or Angry–dismissive attachment were most likely to score high on the insecurity scale, while those with an Enmeshed attachment were more likely to score high on the proximity-seeking scale.
Noteworthy is that almost half (49%) of people with a secure attachment nevertheless score high on the proximity-seeking scale. This seems to suggest that the insecurity scale is more so associated with negative factors than the proximity-seeking scale.
Validity
How reliable, accurate, valid, and up to date is the test?
The VASQ has been shown to have good reliability and validity in discriminating those with insecure and proximity-seeking styles.[20]The Vulnerable Attachment Style Questionnaire (VASQ): an interview-based measure of attachment styles that predict depressive disorder (Bifulco et al., 2003)
In the table below, you can see the reliability of the subscales. The correlation for the total score at retest was 0.65.[21]The Vulnerable Attachment Style Questionnaire (VASQ): an interview-based measure of attachment styles that predict depressive disorder (Bifulco et al., 2003)
The criterion validity of the VASQ was also examined in relation to major depression. High VASQ insecurity scores and total scores were associated with higher rates of depression in the 12 months before contact, but the proximity-seeking scale was not significantly associated with depression.[22]The Vulnerable Attachment Style Questionnaire (VASQ): an interview-based measure of attachment styles that predict depressive disorder (Bifulco et al., 2003)
Discussion
Martin Silvertant:
I think the scoring structure is a bit strange. For instance, if I choose ‘Strongly Disagree’, should this not be rated as 0 rather than 1 on an attachment vulnerability test? But more puzzling I find that ‘Unsure’ counts as 3. If I don’t know the answer, this not should automatically count towards ‘some’ attachment vulnerability. So, especially if you are autistic with alexithymia—which is a high likelihood if you suspect you may have an insecure attachment—I would advise you to try to think hard as to whether you agree with the statements or not, rather than selecting ‘Unsure’; because if the answer might be ‘Disagree’, that would likely give a better measure of your attachment vulnerability than going for the supposedly agnostic option.
Having said that, if you neither agree nor disagree with a statement, then do go for the ‘Unsure’ option, even if you are technically sure that you feel neutral about the statement. Just remember that in terms of how this test is scored, there isn’t really a ‘neutral’ option; everything is scored towards vulnerable attachment, only varying in degrees.
My pedantry about the scoring aside, the output of the test does make sense to me; I scored 38 on the insecurity scale and 18 on the proximity-seeking scale, with a total VASQ score of 53. This basically confirms what I had already thought about myself; that I have some attachment insecurities, but in general I am pretty secure, which is confirmed by my sub-threshold total score which is 4 points short of being considered significant. My proximity-seeking score is actually slightly higher than I would have expected, but only scores above 27 are considered significant, so I guess I’m just confused the score isn’t closer to 0. That’s largely due to the scoring issue I mentioned above. I do score above the threshold of 30 on the insecurity subscale, which also makes a lot of sense to me, as I definitely have some insecurities to work through, and shame that comes up in certain interactions with others.
The VASQ
Please read each statement below and choose the answer that best fits your experiences. There are no “right” or “wrong” answers.
Comments
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