Validation of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment in Cypriot Clinical and non-Clinical Adolescents

Being able to assess attachment during adolescence is important for clinical practice and research addressing adolescents’ well-being and mental health. The Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, (IPPA) is a measure of attachment developed to assess parent and peer attachment based on three-dimensions: Trust, Communication and Alienation. This study examined the psychometric properties of IPPA in a sample of both clinical and non-clinical Greek-speaking Cypriot adolescents (N = 692) between the ages of 12 to 17 (53% girls, M_age = 14.86 years). The IPPA was administered along with the Youth Self Report (YSR) and the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES IV). Participants were recruited from public junior high and senior high schools (n = 612), and from local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (n = 80). Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the original three-dimension models in both parent and peer scales provide acceptable fit in clinical and non-clinical adolescents. Satisfactory internal consistency was found on the three IPPA subscales. Validity indices illustrated that this questionnaire is strongly correlated with the dimensions of YSR and FACES IV. Results highlight the value of measuring adolescents’ attachment using the IPPA in both research and applied settings.