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Forming attachments in foster care: infant attachment behaviors during the first 2 months of placement

K Chase Stovall-McClough1, Mary Dozier

  • 1New York University School of Medicine, USA.

Development and Psychopathology
|October 19, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Foster parents

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Attachment Theory

Background:

  • Attachment security is crucial for infant development.
  • Foster care presents unique challenges to forming secure infant-caregiver bonds.
  • Understanding factors influencing early attachment in foster care is vital.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the development of attachment relationships in foster infants during the initial two months of placement.
  • To examine the influence of foster parent attachment state of mind and age at placement on infant attachment behaviors.
  • To assess the concordance between daily attachment behaviors and laboratory-based attachment classifications.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 38 foster infant-caregiver dyads.
  • Utilized the Parent Attachment Diary for daily infant attachment behaviors.
  • Employed the Adult Attachment Interview for foster parent attachment states.
  • Used Ainsworth's Strange Situation for infant attachment classification.
  • Statistical analyses included hierarchical linear modeling and ANOVA.

Main Results:

  • Infants with autonomous foster parents and those placed at younger ages exhibited more secure and less avoidant behaviors.
  • Younger placement age and autonomous foster parents were associated with more coherent attachment strategies.
  • A decrease in daily attachment behavior coherence correlated with disorganized attachment in the Strange Situation.
  • High concordance was observed between diary measures and Strange Situation classifications for secure and avoidant behaviors.

Conclusions:

  • Foster parent's attachment state of mind and age at placement significantly impact early foster infant attachment.
  • Early secure attachment behaviors in foster infants are promoted by parental autonomy and younger placement.
  • Daily behavioral measures and Strange Situation classifications show convergence for key attachment patterns.

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