[The Adult Attachment Scale (AAS) - psychometric evaluation and normation of the German version].

Based on conceptualizations and assessment instruments of adult attachment research, the development of the adult attachment scale is outlined. The AAS scale is a self report instrument reflecting attachment-related attitudes. The dimensional scales of the AAS assess to what extent a person feels close to his partner, to what extent he is able to rely on others, and how much someone is afraid of losing an intimate partner. The German version of the AAS was normed in a representative study and its psychometric properties were investigated. The reliability of all scales was satisfactory (alpha = 0.72 - 0.79), however, the scale structure only acceptable. Thus, the current version might be integrated in studies to analyze the convergence of adult attachment measures. Findings on the convergent and discriminant validity of the scales (sociodemographic data, the SOC-S, the HADS-D, the SOMS and the Whiteley-Index were included) suggest a high prognostic relevance of the scales in the fields of health psychology and psychosomatics.