| Measure Description | Source of measure | Biringen, Z. (2008). The Emotional Availability (EA) Scales and the Emotional Attachment & Emotional Availability (EA2) Clinical Screener (4th edition): Infancy/Early Childhood Version; Middle Childhood/Youth Versions; Therapist/Interventionist Manual; Couple Relationship Manual. Boulder, CO: emotionalavailabilty.com. [Previous edition] Biringen, Z., Robinson, J., & Emde, R. (1998). Emotional Availability Scales, 3th Edition. Unpublished Manual for the EAS-training. www.emotionalavailability.com |
| Mode of administration | Rater coding of videotaped adult-child interactions. | |
| Age range for use | Ages 0 to 14. There are separate manuals for ages 0-5 and 6-14. | |
| Domains Assessed | The EA Scales are a multidimensional assessment of the emotional quality of adult-child interactions. Adult EA Scales: sensitivity, structuring, non-intrusiveness, and non-hostility. Child EA Scales: responsiveness and involvement. The EA-Z provides attachment style classifications and continuous/dimensional attachment scores ranging from 0 to 100 for both the adult and the child. | |
| Related Measures | None mentioned | |
| Burden | Training needed to administer | In-vivo or distance trainings are available. Training consists of 3-4 days of seminars and a reliability check. |
| Minutes to complete | It is recommended that videos at least 20 minutes long be used, although videos of any length can be coded. | |
| # of items | Six (6) EA Scales. On the EA-Z, the adult and child receive separate zones and scores. | |
| Cost | The cost of training varies based on size of group, in-vivo vs. distance, location, and 0-5 age group or also older child/youth training. Contact Dr. Biringen via website (emotionalavailability.com) to inquire about specific training costs. | |
| Adaptation for AIAN use | Adapted | No |
| Developer allows adaptation? | No | |
| Used with AIAN populations? | Yes | |
| Psychometrics | Norm-referenced | No |
| AIAN: Cronbach's alpha range | Interrater reliability on the EA Scales was .8 or higher in a sample where 82% of young children were of AIAN descent (Saunders, Sarche, Morse, Trucksess, & Biringen, in preparation). | |
| AIAN: Evidence of validity | The EA Scales (sensitivity, structuring, child responsiveness, and child involvement) were related to child social-emotional competence, as assessed by the ITSEA in a sample of young children, 82% of whom were AIAN (Saunders et al., in preparation). | |
| Other populations: Cronbach's alpha range | ICCs for test-retest reliability range from .76 to .96 (Bornstein, Gini, Leach, et al. 2006; Bornstein, Gini, Putnick, et al. 2006; Bornstein, Gini, Suwalsky, Putnick, & Haynes, 2006). Various other studies described in Biringen et al. (2014) offer evidence of inter-rater reliability. See comprehensive information in Biringen, Derscheid, Vliegen, Closson, & Easterbrooks, 2014. Emotional Availability (EA): Theoretical background, empirical research using the EA Scales, and clinical applications. Developmental Review, 34, 114-167. | |
| Other populations: Evidence of validity | EA demonstrates convergent validity with attachment (measured by Strange Situation Procedure, Attachment Q-Sort, and Adult Attachment Interview), the PIR-GAS, child social-emotional competence. The evidence of a negative association between EA and maternal depression is mixed. The EA-Z demonstrate concordance with attachment style (secure vs. insecure), as measured by Strange Situation Procedure, Attachment Q-Sort, and the Adult Attachmet Interview (Saunders & Biringen, under review). See comprehensive information in Biringen, Derscheid, Vliegen, Closson, & Easterbrooks, 2014. Emotional Availability (EA): Theoretical background, empirical research using the EA Scales, and clinical applications. Developmental Review, 34, 114-167. | |
| Source | Developer | Zeynep Biringen, Ph.D. |
| Link | emotionalavailability.com | |
| Summary | Comments about sensitivity to change | EA is sensitive to change in intervention (i.e., parent intervention, child care intervention, Nurse Family Partnership, tele-intervention; nasal oxytocin administration), and EA improves over time in children who are adopted. See comprehensive information in Biringen, Derscheid, Vliegen, Closson, & Easterbrooks, 2014. Emotional Availability (EA): Theoretical background, empirical research using the EA Scales, and clinical applications. Developmental Review, 34, 114-167. |
| General remarks | EA Scales can be used alone, or in conjunction with EA-Z. EA-Z must be used with the EA Scales. Training for both measurement tools occurs at the same time. |
Update: October 3, 2017