Perrotta Evolutionary Attachment Questionnaire” (Pea-Q1): Development, Regulation, And Validation of a Psychometric Instrument Capable of Investigating the Subjective Attachment Profile in Children (4-10 Years), Preadolescents (11-13 Years),

Introduction: Unresolved childhood traumas can negatively affect an individual's psychophysical growth. Correlations between these events and the onset of psychopathologies are not yet fully known in the literature. Attachment theory attempts to explain the effects of maternal deprivation and the negative impact of traumatic events on psychophysical growth, but without succeeding in this endeavor. For this reason, a new psychometric instrument, the Perrotta Evolutionary Attachment Questionnaire (PEA-Q1), has been developed with the intent of filling this gap. Materials and Methods: A theory and model related to the topic under investigation were generated with a questionnaire (PEA-Q) to be administered to a selected population. After conducting the clinical interview and administration of the new questionnaire, the data were compared with the results of the administration of the "Separation Anxiety Test" (SAT) about the population sample with age <18 years and the "Adult Attachment Interview" (AAI) for adults to validate the proposed psychometric instrument. Results: Statistical analysis showed that the psychometric test has a well-defined and stable construct (R=0.999; p<0.001), with the variables well represented (R=0.999; p<0.001) and positively correlated with another construct already validated (R=0.903; p<0.001). Conclusions: PEA-Q1 is a valid, efficient and stable psychometric instrument for investigating attachment profiles in all developmental stages of the individual.