Growing up in foster families or institutions: Attachment representation and psychological adjustment of young adults

[Trauma, Psychological Stress and Family Situation of Fathers who Experienced Child and Youth Welfare Services: Implications for Youth Welfare Interventions and Therapy]

Trauma, Psychological Stress and Family Situation of Fathers who Experienced Child and Youth Welfare Services: Implications for Youth Welfare Interventions and Therapy This paper explores the current family situation and psychological stress of fathers who experienced trauma and different kinds of youth welfare services including out-of-home placement during their childhood. The main group consisted of n = 119 fathers and was compared to a group of n = 36 fathers whose families never received services from the child and youth welfare authority. In the main group, a high correlation was found between trauma and current psychological stress, albeit the out-of-home care intervention or intensive home-support by child and youth welfare services during childhood. The higher stress level in the main group of fathers in contrast to the comparison group effects their current family situation, especially concerning the contact between fathers and their children. Fathers with higher stress levels were less likely to be in contact with their children. Acting on the assumption that fathers are important for their children, the results implicate a heightened focus on earlier trauma-informed interventions in families with difficulties and out-of-home care settings, to reduce stress levels and prevent intergenerational transmission of problematic family experiences. Current child and youth welfare services, in particular out-of-home placements, should take these trauma-informed approaches and therapy into account.

Differences in attachment dimensions and reflective functioning between traumatized juvenile offenders and maltreated non-delinquent adolescents from care services

BACKGROUND

Adverse childhood experiences, especially maltreatment, are regarded as significant risk factors for the development of antisocial behavior in adolescence. However, possible correlates are still to be investigated after considering the history of criminal records and the experience of institutionalization.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, differences in attachment anxiety and avoidance, and reflective functioning (RF) between traumatized incarcerated juvenile offenders and non-delinquent adolescents institutionalized in child services because of domestic violence were examined.

PARTICIPANTS, SETTING AND METHOD

Forty-two juvenile offenders (N_female = 19) and 43 inmates of institutions for adolescents without parental care (N_female = 20) with the history of trauma filled in the childhood trauma and attachment dimensions questionnaires, and were scored on the Reflective Functioning Scale. Groups were matched on age and education.

RESULTS

Results indicate that both groups reported equally high levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance. Male juvenile offenders had lower scores on reflective functioning than both female convicted minors (B = 1.06; Odds Ratio = 2.88; Nagelkerkes R² = 45) and non-delinquent adolescents of both genders (B = -.65; Odds Ratio = .52; Nagelkerkes R² = 42). In comparison to non-convicted males, male offenders also had higher scores on the control scale of idealization (B = .35; Odds Ratio = 1.42; Nagelkerkes R² = 42). No differences between females with and without a history of crimes were found.

CONCLUSIONS

Results indicate a need for building RF in both traumatized samples, especially in male delinquents, and encourage further research in females.

Comparing Long-Term Placement Outcomes of Residential and Family Foster Care: A Meta-Analysis

This study presents findings from three separate meta-analyses investigating differences between children placed in residential care and in family foster care with regard to three outcomes: internalizing behaviors, externalizing behaviors, and perception of care. Based on publications from the last 20 years, a total of 23 studies were included. The total sample consisted of 13,630 children in care, with 7,469 from foster care and 6,161 from residential care. The results from this study indicated that children in foster care had consistently better experiences and less problems across the three outcomes as compared to children in residential care. Analyses did not reveal evidence of publication bias, and sensitivity analyses also suggested that results were not influenced by individual studies. Additionally, moderation analyses revealed that the differences between foster and residential care could vary depending on certain factors such as the publication year, the gross domestic product of the country, and the length of care. The implications of differences in outcomes between the two placements are discussed.

Fostering secure attachment: experiences of animal companions in the foster home

This study sought to use attachment theory as a lens through which to explore children's relationships with animal companions in the context of long-term foster care. Inductive and deductive thematic analyses of longitudinal case study data from eight children and their foster families suggested (a) that children's relationships with animal companions satisfied attachment-related functions in their own right and (b) that animal companions also helped to soften perceptions of foster caregivers, facilitating opportunities for the development of closeness. Animals in the foster home may therefore play an important part in helping children to find and develop secure, warm, and loving relationships.

Foster children's attachment behavior and representation: Influence of children's pre-placement experiences and foster caregiver's sensitivity

Although the majority of foster children have been exposed to early adversity in their biological families and have experienced one or more disruptions of attachment relationships, most studies surprisingly found foster children to be as securely attached as children in low-risk samples. However, attention has been paid almost exclusively to attachment formation in young children up to two years of age, and the majority of studies solely investigated attachment behavior whereas few is known about foster children's representations about attachment relationships. To extend findings on attachment in foster children and its predictors, our study examined both attachment behavior and representations in foster children aged between 3 and 8 years. Diverse potential predictors including child variables, birth parents' variables, pre-placement experiences, and foster caregiver's behavior were included in the analyses. Results revealed that foster children showed both lower attachment security and higher disorganization scores than children in low-risk samples. Attachment behavior and representation were found to be widely independent from each other. Different factors contributed to attachment behavior and representation: whereas foster children's attachment behavior was mainly influenced by foster parents' behavior, pre-placement experiences did predict hyperactivation and disorganization on the representational level. The results indicate that, when intervening with foster families, it seems crucial to focus not exclusively on the promotion of secure attachment behavior but also to develop interventions enhancing secure and organized attachment representations.

[The Relationship Between Attachment Representations of Foster Parents and Foster Children and the Role of the Child's Sex]

Children who have been placed in foster care after having experienced difficult family situations need to experience secure relationships. The development of a secure attachment model is regarded as a key protective factor for a healthy development. The present study examines predictors of attachment representations in a sample of 37 foster children aged three to eight years. Children's attachment representations were assessed using the Attachment Story Completion Task, and foster parents' attachment representations with the Adult Attachment Interview. Female foster children scored higher in secure attachment representations than males. Attachment representations of male foster children were positively influenced by a secure attachment representation of their primary foster parent and slightly by the duration of placement in the foster family as well as their age of placement but differently than expected. These results suggest that male foster children may be more vulnerable in their development of attachment representations and that foster parents' state of mind regarding attachment as well as the duration of the placement seem to have an impact on the development of attachment patterns in their foster children. This should be considered in the choice and counseling of foster parents.

Zusammenhang zwischen interpersoneller Traumatisierung, auffälligem Bindungsverhalten und psychischer Belastung bei Pflegekindern

Pflegekinder vereinen häufig frühkindliche Traumatisierung und vielfältige andere psychosoziale und biologische Risikofaktoren auf sich. Insbesondere die weite Verbreitung von Bindungsstörungen bei Pflegekindern wird oft als eine Folge der belastenden Beziehungserfahrungen in ihren Ursprungsfamilien beschrieben. Im Rahmen einer epidemiologischen Untersuchung an 394 Pflegekindern wurden traumatische Lebenserfahrungen mit dem Essener Trauma-Inventar für Kinder (ETI-KJ-F) im Fremdurteil und das Bindungsverhalten mit der deutschen Übersetzung des Relationship Problems Questionnaire (RPQ) erfasst. Zudem wurde die Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) vorgegeben. In diesen Analysen gingen die Ergebnisse von 275 Pflegekindern im Altersbereich zwischen 5 und 16 Jahren ein (Durchschnittsalter 10.98 Jahre; SD = 3.26). 69 % der Pflegeeltern berichten, dass die von ihnen betreuten Kinder mindestens ein interpersonelles traumatisches Ereignis durchlebt haben. Berechnet man Mittelwertsunterschiede zwischen Gruppen mit und ohne interpersoneller Traumatisierung, zeigen sich, kontrolliert für Alter, Geschlecht, Dauer des Pflegeverhältnisses und Anzahl Betreuungswechsel, signifikante Unterschiede bezüglich dem Ausmaß von Bindungsproblemen und psychopathologischen Symptomen in der CBCL, wobei sich diese insbesondere beim gehemmten Bindungsverhalten und im internalisierenden Problemverhalten zeigen. Die Zahl der Betreuungswechsel hat auf diese Variablen ebenfalls einen entscheidenden Einfluss. Die große Traumabelastung von Pflegekindern in ihren Ursprungsfamilien und deren enger Zusammenhang mit der Bindungssentwicklung und Psychopathologie zeigt, wie wichtig eine „traumasensible“ Hilfeplanung sowie eine entsprechende Beratung und Weiterbildung der Pflegeeltern sind.