A bifactorial approach to the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised scale

The Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) scale has been argued to be the most robust measure of adult attachment to date. However, while previous authors propose that the ECR-R contains a 2-factor model of attachment with the factors representing anxious and avoidant attachment, none have considered a bifactor model of attachment (i.e., an overarching factor of attachment security, together with additional latent variables representing anxious and avoidant attachment) and several have applied, arguably unnecessary, data parcelling. In the current study, 911 participants completed the ECR-R and measures of several associated variables to assess differential predictive validity. Confirmatory factor analysis suggested that the bifactor model was found to be the best fit to the data. These findings have important implications for evaluating previous research which has used the ECR-R. The practical implications of these are discussed. • Bifactor model is a better fit to the data than a 2-factor model within the ECR-R. • Differential predictive validity of the ECR-R supports attachment theory. • Composite reliability adds to support for internal reliability of the ECR-R.