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Attachment disorder symptoms in foster children: development and associations with attachment security

Josephine D Kliewer-Neumann1, Janin Zimmermann2,3, Ina Bovenschen4,2

  • 1Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany. Josephine.Kliewer@rub.de.

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health
|August 11, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Foster care placement helps reduce attachment disorder symptoms in children. Attachment security improved over the first year, especially in boys initially. Foster care supports children's attachment development.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Attachment Theory

Background:

  • Children in foster care are at high risk for attachment disorders.
  • Longitudinal data on attachment disorders and security in foster children is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the longitudinal course of attachment disorder symptoms.
  • To investigate the association between attachment disorder symptoms and attachment security in foster children.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 55 foster children (12-82 months old).
  • Assessed foster parents and children at three points during the first year of placement.
  • Utilized the Disturbance of Attachment Interview (DAI) and Attachment Q-sort (AQS).

Main Results:

  • Attachment disorder symptoms decreased over the first year, particularly in the initial 6 months.
  • Inhibited symptoms decreased more than disinhibited symptoms.
  • Boys showed a greater initial decrease in inhibited symptoms and increase in security, with no significant gender effect after 12 months.
  • A negative correlation was found between inhibited attachment disorder symptoms and attachment security at 12 months.

Conclusions:

  • Foster care environments facilitate a decrease in attachment disorder symptoms.
  • Foster care appears to be an effective placement for improving children's attachment development.
Abstract

Keywords:
AttachmentDisinhibited social engagement disorderFoster careReactive attachment disorder

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