ASI for Adults in Research & Clinical Practice

The Attachment Style Interview for Research, Clinical and Practice (ASI-RCP) is an assessment tool which assesses characteristics of adults and young people in terms of their quality of close relationships, social support and security of attachment style. It is one of the few attachment style interviews which has a transparent method of questioning and scoring to assess both secure and insecure relating styles.

The ASI research interview has been used extensively in research studies to examine psycho-social risks for mental health problems, including major depression, anxiety and post natal depression. It has also been extensively used cross culturally and is translated into a number of languages including Japanese, French, German and Italian.

Its reliability and validity is established among researchers (including several cross cultural studies) and high levels of association are found with depression outcomes and social factors such as poor support, low self-esteem and early adverse childhood experience.

Training package

A training package is available for researchers and clinicians, which consists of a 4-day training workshop to enable the reliable use of the assessment tool. The training has been developed by Professor Antonia Bifulco at Middlesex University London and her team of researchers at the Centre for Abuse and Trauma Studies. The training takes place at a London location. Professor Bifulco is an experienced social scientist with 20 years’ experience researching family life, parenting, neglect/abuse and support in relation to mental health. The other four co-trainers are all researchers with extensive experience of the ASI and with additional experience in evaluating services, assessing children and counselling and play therapist skills.

The training involves:

A 4-day training workshop held in London for researchers wanting to learn to use the ASI reliably. The current cost of the training is £680.

The Centre for Abuse and Trauma Studies recommend that additional arrangements for reliability are also made with the team. Continued consultation for further evaluation of the ASI in practice is available if required.

ASI-RCP training flyer (pdf)

Training workshop timetable (4 days)

Day 1: An overview of the ASI categories and rating procedures, the interview and rating system. Introduction to scoring quality of marital relationship, support and relating ability.

Day 2: Intensive training in scoring quality of marital relationship, support and relating ability. This will be aided by video and audio-taped interviews and vignettes of adults’ support-contexts. Introduction to assessing attachment style.

Day 3: Intensive training in assessing attachment style in terms of secure and insecure styles and those enmeshed, fearful, dismissive and withdrawn. Trainees will acquire reliable scoring of interviews and vignettes.

Day 4: Trainees will return after completion of a pilot interview to discuss rating thresholds and experiences of administering the interview in practice.