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Maternal Secure Attachment to a Child Aged 2–4 Years Scale

Maternal Secure Attachment to a Child Aged 2–4 Years Scale Test

In 7 minutes, understand how securely a mother connects with her 2 to 4 year old through everyday emotional attunement. 38 items reveal strengths and gaps to guide focused support in counseling or education.

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Questions: 387 minutes

Hi! My name is Freudly, i am an AI therapist, I will give you an interpretation of the test after you complete it.

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

23,198 views

1,493 completions

1,303 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

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How the Scales are Structured

example score

84/100

Maternal Secure Attachment to a Child Aged 2–4 Years (MSAtaCA24Y)

Measures the overall degree of secure attachment in the mother–child relationship for children aged 2–4 years, reflecting sensitivity, acceptance, responsiveness, and support.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 49: Low | 50 – 74: Moderate | 75 – 100: High

A score of 84 falls in the High range, indicating a generally strong, secure attachment characterized by consistent attunement and supportive responding to the child’s needs.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Child psychologists and therapists

41%OF USERS

Use it as a quick intake tool to gauge mother–child bonding patterns and identify focus areas for counseling or therapy.

Early childhood educators

34%OF USERS

Take it to better understand family dynamics that may affect a child’s behavior and tailor parent communication and support.

Parenting coaches and consultants

25%OF USERS

Rely on it to pinpoint which caregiving responses need strengthening and to track progress during guidance sessions.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

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Used in 52+ countries

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Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

The level of secure attachment of a mother to a child aged 2-4 years (Tlosaoamtaca2y)

Average

42.9

Normal range

28.4 — 57.4

min.

max.

100

Majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of this questionnaire?

It provides a brief measure of the security of the mother–child attachment for children ages 2 to 4. Results are used to guide counseling, psychotherapy, or parent-focused education.

What areas does it assess?

It assesses sensitivity to the child’s signals, acceptance of emotions and needs, timeliness of response versus overcontrol, and support versus neglect. Scores yield an overall indicator and domain-level patterns.

Who should complete it?

It is completed by the child’s mother or primary maternal caregiver who knows the child’s daily behavior. It is intended for use with children ages 2 to 4.

How long does it take and how many items are included?

Estimated completion time is about 7 minutes. The questionnaire includes 38 items.

How should items be answered?

Select the response that best matches typical behavior in everyday situations rather than unusual events. Answer all items based on the child’s behavior over the past several weeks.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Maternal Secure Attachment to a Child Aged 2–4 Years Scale Test - Symptoms and Signs

motherhood attachment family

In clinical or developmental contexts, assessing the caregiver-child relationship can clarify areas of strength and concern in early caregiving. The Maternal Secure Attachment to a Child Aged 2-4 Years Scale is a brief self-report measure focused on maternal behaviors and attitudes associated with secure attachment in toddlers and preschool-aged children.

The measure includes 38 items and typically takes about 7 minutes to complete. Item content broadly targets domains such as maternal sensitivity to child cues, acceptance versus rejection of the child’s emotions and needs, responsiveness versus intrusive control, and supportive engagement versus disengagement, yielding an overall index of maternal secure attachment.

The Maternal Secure Attachment to a Child Aged 2-4 Years Scale may be used to support case formulation and to guide parent-focused intervention planning by highlighting patterns that may affect the child’s experience of safety and availability in the caregiving relationship. The instrument is attributed to Mary D. Ainsworth and Everett Waters.

Author: Everett Waters, Mary D. Ainsworth

Literature: Ainsworth, M. D. S., Blehar, M. C., Waters, E., & Wall, S. Patterns of attachment: a psychological study of the strange situation. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 1978.

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