Adult Attachment Styles in a Lebanese Community Sample: A Brief Arabic Experience in Close Relationships Scale

Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop a brief Arabic Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR-R) Scale and to examine its psychometric properties in the Lebanese context. Method: A 32-item Arabic ECR-R was administered to 418 Lebanese adults in an urban community. Based on factor analysis, a brief 16 item Arabic ECR-R was constructed to measure two adult attachment dimensions (avoidant and anxious, 8 items each). Psychometric properties of the 16-item ECR-R (Arabic ECR-R-16) in the form of factor analysis, internal consistency, and correlations with Arabic Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (Arabic CES-D) scores were examined, as were comparisons in relation to age, sex, education, marital status, and religion. Results: Factor analysis of the Arabic ECR- R-16 resulted in a two-factor model solution representing avoidant and anxious attachments with internal consistencies of α = .81 and α = .79, respectively, and significant correlations with Arabic CES-D scores (r = .21, p .0001 and r = .36, p .0001, respectively). Age was negatively correlated with anxious (r=-.12, p .05) but not avoidant attachment. While Arabic ECR-R-16 scores were independent of education and religion, male Lebanese adults reported more avoidant and less anxious attachments than their female counterparts, and single Lebanese reported more avoidant and more anxious attachments than married Lebanese. Conclusion: The brief Arabic ECR-16 is a reliable and valid measure of adult attachment in the Lebanese context.