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Attachment Security in Three-Year-Olds who Entered Substitute Care in Infancy

Shannon Altenhofen1, Robert Clyman2, Christina Little2

  • 1University of Colorado Denver.

Infant Mental Health Journal
|April 30, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Caregiver-child Emotional Availability (EA) and specific caregiver behaviors predict secure child attachment in foster care. Girls were more likely than boys to form secure attachments by age three.

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Attachment Theory

Background:

  • Children in out-of-home care face challenges in developing secure attachments.
  • Understanding predictors of attachment security is crucial for improving outcomes for these children.
  • Emotional Availability (EA) and caregiver characteristics may play a significant role.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationship between caregiver-child Emotional Availability (EA), placement stability, caregiver type, and child gender on attachment security.
  • To identify key factors predicting secure attachment in children aged three who have experienced out-of-home care.
  • To assess the predictive power of EA subscales (Sensitivity, Responsiveness, Involvement) on attachment security.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 104 children entering court-ordered care by six months of age.
  • Attachment security assessed at age three using the Attachment Q-set.
  • Caregiver-child Emotional Availability (EA) measured using the EA Scales, 4th edition.
  • Analysis of placement changes, time in care, caregiver type, and child gender as predictors.

Main Results:

  • Sixty-six percent of children exhibited secure attachments at age three.
  • Higher scores on EA Caregiver Sensitivity, Child Responsiveness, and Child Involvement predicted secure attachment.
  • Girls were more likely than boys to achieve secure attachment with their substitute caregivers.
  • Average EA subscale scores were relatively high.

Conclusions:

  • Caregiver-child Emotional Availability (EA) is a significant predictor of secure attachment in children in out-of-home care.
  • Specific EA components, including caregiver sensitivity and child involvement, are vital for fostering secure attachment.
  • Interventions aimed at enhancing EA may improve attachment security for children in substitute care, with consideration for gender differences.

Keywords:
attachmentcaregiver-child relationshipschild welfare

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