Attachment Stability in Children Aged 6 to 9 Years in Extended and Nuclear Families

Research Findings: The main aim of this study was to identify whether the attachment security of children living in nuclear and extended families is stable from ages 6 to 9 years in a sample of Turkish children. In total, 54 children participated in the study, of whom 27 lived in nuclear families and the other 27 lived in extended families in Mus, Province, Turkey. Incomplete Stories with a Doll Family and the Kerns Security Scale were used with the same group after a 3-year interval. Attachment was found to be stable for 54% of the overall sample: 47% of those living in extended families and 59% of those living in nuclear families. These findings support the argument that attachment follows a stable course from age 6 to 9 years onward. Depending on time, this stability was also found to be significant in terms of gender and family type. Practice or Policy: The findings from this study contribute to the relevant literature both in terms of the identification of attachment stability between the ages of 6 and 9 and with regard to the effects of family type on attachment stability.