Change and stability of attachment from childhood to early adulthood

The main objective of this study was to examine continuity and change inattachment classification from childhood to early adulthood. The relationsbetween childhood attachment, stressful life events, and young adultattachment were examined based on data from observations of thirty-fourSwedish middle-class 3 years old children who were invited to a play sessiontogether with their mothers. At 23 years, the same participants wereinterviewed with an attachment interview and they also filled out Paykel’s LifeEvent Scale. Results showed that the stability of secure and insecure attachment classification was 74 %. Classification of childhood attachment (secure versus insecure) together with stressful life events before 18 years were strong predictors of adult attachment. In conclusion, the present study supports the relevance of childhood experience to development later in life