Examining the intergenerational transfer of attachment using the drawing method: Projective research

The purpose of this study was to compare attachment representations across three generations (grandmother, mother, and child) using the Bird's Nest Drawing Test and to examine the extent of intergenerational transmission. Drawings from three generations were analyzed based on the test's 12 evaluation criteria. Chi-square analyses revealed no significant differences in the majority (p > .05), indicating consistent attachment representations across generations and the existence of similar drawing patterns across generations. In particular, a striking similarity was observed across the three generations for indicators such as "Is there a parent bird in the nest?", "Affection of colors with nature?", and "Does the nest touch the ground?" However, items such as "Is there a sun figure?" (χ² = 6.23, p = .044) and "Is the nest enclosed in a tree trunk?" (χ² = 6.80, p = .033) were observed at higher frequencies in the child generation compared to the other generations. These differences may suggest that children more explicitly reflect environmental factors or protective environments in their attachment representations. Spearman correlation analysis revealed highly positive and significant relationships across the three generations; grandmother and mother ρ = .940 (p < .001), mother and child ρ = .893 (p < .001), and grandmother and child ρ = .930 (p < .001). These results suggest that attachment representations are consistently transmitted across generations and maintained in similar patterns. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that the attachment representations of the mother's and grandmother's generations were highly similar, while the children's generation differed significantly from these two generations. These findings support the notion that attachment representations can exhibit both continuity and structural variation across generations and that the Bird's Nest Drawing Test can be a useful tool for revealing the transmission of attachment across generations.