Post-institutionalized adopted adolescents: Attachment relationships with their adoptive parents
Published:
Oct 15, 2020
Keywords:
adopted adolescents institutional experience attachment relationships
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the quality of attachment to parents in adopted adolescents, who spent the first two years of their lives in “Metera” Babies Centre, and in adolescents reared by their biological parents. in the study there were involved 88 adolescents aged 12 to 14 years old (mean age = 13.1 years). The 52 adolescents were adoptees, whereas the 36, matched for age and sex with the adoptees, brought up in their biological families and comprised the comparison group. attachment relationships with parents were assessed using the Child attachment interview (Target, Fonagy & Shmueli-Goetz, 2003). interviews were conducted in adolescents’
houses. The results showed that there were no between-group differences in the quality of attachment relationships with parents. Sex differences were not found. However, adopted adolescents tended to
have more difficulties in expressing their own emotions. We conclude that, although adoption could not be viewed as a risk factor for the development of secure attachment relationships between adopted adolescents and their adoptive parents, adopted adolescents, compared to their non-adopted counterparts, still showed emotional difficulties.
Article Details
- How to Cite
-
Ντούμα Μ., Βόρρια Π., & Βαϊράμη Μ. (2020). Post-institutionalized adopted adolescents: Attachment relationships with their adoptive parents. Psychology: The Journal of the Hellenic Psychological Society, 20(4), 429–447. https://doi.org/10.12681/psy_hps.23601
- Issue
- Vol. 20 No. 4 (2013)
- Section
- RESEARCH PAPERS
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The journal PSYCHOLOGY adopts a Platinum open-access policy. Submission, processing or publication costs are waived by the Hellenic Psychological Society. Papers published in the journal PSYCHOLOGY are licensed under a 'Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International' licence. The authors reserve the copyright of their work and grant the journal the right of its first publication. Third-party licensees are allowed to use the published paper immediately after publication as they wish, provided they retain the defined by the license copyright formalities, regarding the reference to its author(s) and its initial publication in the journal PSYCHOLOGY. Moreover, any adjusted work should be shared under the same reuse rights, so with the same CC license.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
audet, K., & Le Mare, L. (2010). Mitigating effects of
the adoptive caregiving environment on inattention/
overactivity in children adopted from Romanian
orphanages. International Journal of Behavioral
Development, 35 (2), 107-115.
Beijersbergen, M. D., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J.,
Van iJzendoorn, M. H., & Juffer, F. (2008). Stress
regulation in adolescents: Physiological reactivity
during the adult attachment interview and conflict
interaction. Child Development, 79 (6), 1707-1720.
Bakerman-Kranenburg, M. J., Steele, H., Zeanah, C.
H., Muhamedrahimov, R. J., Vorria, P., Dobrova-
Krol, N. a., Steele, M., Van iJzendoorn, M. H., Juffer,
J., & Gunnar, M. (2011). iii. attachment and
emotional development in institutional care: characteristics
and catch up. Monographs of the Society
for Research in Child Development, 76
(4), 62-91.
Borelli, J. L., Sbarra, D. a., Mehl, M., & David, D. H.
(2011). Experiential connectedness in children’s
attachment interviews: an examination of natural
word use. Journal of the International Association
for Relationship Research, 18, 341-351.
Βορριά, Π., Σαραφίδου, Ε., Παπαληγούρα, Ζ., Λα-
μπίδη, Α., & Κοντοπούλου, Α. (2006). Οι επιπτώ-
σεις της παρεχόμενης φροντίδας στο δεσμό
«μητέρας» - βρέφους σε βρέφη του Κέντρου
Βρεφών «Μητέρα». ψυχολογία, 13 (2), 21-36.
Bowlby, J. (1969/1982). Attachment and loss (Vol. 1):
Attachment. New york: Basic.
Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss (Vol. 2): Separation,
Anger and Anxiety. London: Hogarth
Press.
Bowlby, J. (1980). Attachment and loss (Vol. 3): Loss.
New york: Basic.
u Μαρία Ντούμα, Παναγιώτα Βορριά και Μαρία Βαϊράμη
Bretherton, i., & Mulholland, K. a. (1999). internal
working models in attachment relationships: a
construct revisited. in J. Cassidy & P. Shaver
(Eds.), Handbook of attachment (pp. 89-111) New
york: Guilford.
Chisholm, K. (1998). a three year follow-up of attachment
and indiscriminated friendliness in children
adopted from Romanian orphanages. Child Development,
(4), 1092-1106.
Fernyhough, L. (2003). The quality and stability of attachment
and its relation to indiscriminate friendliness
in children adopted to Canada from Romanian
orphanages – eight years later. Unpublished
Ma thesis. Burnaby, Canada: Simon Fraser University.
Fonagy, P., Target, M., & Gergely, G. (2002). Affect
regulation, mentalization and the development of
the self. New york: Other Press.
George, C., Kaplan, N., & Main, M. (1986). Adult Attachment
Interview Protocol (3nd ed.). Unpublished
manuscript, University of California, Berkeley.
George, C., & Solomon, J. (1999). attachment and
caregiving: The caregiving behavioural system. in
J. Cassidy & P.R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment:
Theory, Research and Clinical Applications
(pp. 649-670). New york, Ny: The Guilford
Press.
Grotevant, H. D. (1997). Coming to terms with adoption:
The construction of identity from adolescence
into adulthood. Adoption Quarterly, 1 (1), 3-27.
Hodges, J., & Tizard, B. (1989). Social and family relationships
of ex-institutional adolescents. Journal
of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 30 (1), 77-97.
Juffer, F., Palacios, J., Le Mare, L., Sonuga-Barke, E.
J. S., Tieman, W., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J.,
Vorria, P., Van iJzendoorn, M. H., & Verhulst, F.
C. (2011). Development of adopted Children with
Histories of Early adversity. in Groza, V.K. (Eds.),
Children without permanent parents: Research,
practice, and policy. Monographs of the Society
for Research in Child Development.
Le Mare, L., Vaughan, K., Warford, L., & Fernyhough,
L. (2001, april). Intellectual and academic performance
of Romanian orphans 10 years after being
adopted to Canada. Paper presented at the biennial
meeting of the Society for Research in Child
Development, Minneapolis, MN.
Main, M., Kaplan, N., & Cassidy, J. (1985). Security in
infancy, childhood, and adulthood: a move to the
level of representation. in i. Bretherton & E. Waters
(Eds.), Growing points of attachment theory
and research. Monographs of the Society for Research
in Child Development, 50 (1-2, Serial No.
, 66-104.
Marcovitch, S., Goldberg, S., Gold, a., Washington,
J., Wasson, C., Krekewich, K., & Handley-Derry,
M. (1997). Determinants of behavioural problems
in Romanian children adopted in Ontario. International
Journal of Behavioral Development, 20,
(1), 17-31.
Miller, L. (2008). Understanding an adopted child: a
child psychotherapist’s perspective. in D. Hindle,
& G. Shulman (Eds.), The emotional experience
of adoption: a psychoanalytic perspective (pp. 57-
. New york, Ny: Routledge.
Miller, B., Fax, X., Christensen, M., Grotevant, H. D., &
van Dulmen, M. (2000). Comparisons of adopted
and nonadopted adolescents in a large, nationally
representative sample. Child Development,
(5), 1458-1473.
Muntean, a. (2011). Trauma of abandoned children
and adoption as promoter of healing process. Today’s
Children are Tomorrow’s Parents, 30, 54-60.
Pace, C. S., Zavattini, G. C., & D’alessio, M. (2012).
Continuity and discontinuity of attachment patterns:
a short-term longitudinal pilot study using
a sample of late-adopted children and their adoptive
mothers. Attachment & Human Development,
(1), 45-61.
Riley, D., & Meeks, J. (2005). Beneath the Mask: Understanding
Adopted Teens. Silver Spring:
C.a.S.E. Publications.
Rosnati, R., & Marta, E. (1997). Parent-child relationships
as a protective factor in preventing adolescents’
psychological risk in inter-racial adoptive
and non-adoptive families. Journal of Adolescence,
, 617-631.
Rutter, M., Colvert, E., Kreppner, J., Beckett, C., Castle,
J., Groothues, C., Hawkins, a., O’ Connor, T.
G., Stevens, S. E., & Sonuga-Barke, E. J. S.
(2007). Early adolescent outcomes for institutionally-
deprived and non-deprived adoptees. i: Disinhibited
attachment. Journal of Child Psychology
and Psychiatry, 48 (1), 17-30.
Rutter, Μ., Sonuga-Barke, E. J. S., & The English and
Romanian adoptees Study Team (2010). Deprivation-
specific psychological patterns: Effects of
institutional deprivation. Monographs of the Society
for Research in Child Development, 75 (1),
-252.
Υιοθετημένοι έφηβοι με ιδρυματική εμπειρία u 443
Schofield, G., & Beek, M. (2006). Attachment handbook
for foster care and adoption. London: British
association for adoption & Fostering (BaaF).
Sharma, a. R., McGue, M. K., & Benson, P. L. (1998).
The psychological adjustment of United States
adopted adolescents and their nonadopted siblings.
Child Development, 69 (3), 791-802.
Shmueli-Goetz, y., Target, M., Datta, a., & Fonagy, P.,
(2004). The Child Attachment Interview (CAI) coding
and classification manual, Version V. Unpublished
manuscript, The Sub-Department of Clinical
Health Psychology, University College London.
Shmueli-Goetz, y., Target, M., Fonagy, P., & Datta, a.
(2008). The Child attachment interview: a psychometric
study of reliability and discriminant validity.
Developmental Psychology, 44 (4), 939-956.
St. Petersburg-USa Orphanage Research Team
(2005). Characteristics of children, caregivers,
and orphanages for young children in St. Petersburg,
Russian Federation. Journal of Applies Developmental
Psychology, 26 (5), 477-506.
Steele, M., Hodges, J., Kaniuk, J, Steele, H., Hillman,
S., & asquith, K. (2008). Forecasting outcomes in
previously maltreated children: The use of the aai
in a longitudinal adoption study. in H. Steele & M.
Steele (Eds.), Clinical applications of the Adult Attachment
Interview (pp. 427-451). New york, Ny:
The Guilford Press.
Target, M., Fonagy, P., & Shmueli-Goetz, y. (2003).
attachment representations in school-age children:
The development of the Child attachment
interview (Cai). Journal of Child Psychotherapy,
(2), 171-186.
van den Dries, L., Juffer, F., Van iJzendoorn, M. H.,
& Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J. (2009). Fostering
security? a meta-analysis of attachment in
adopted children. Children and Youth Services
Review, 31, 410-421.
Van iJzendoorn, M. H., & Juffer, F. (2006). adoption
as intervention: Meta-analytic evidence for massive
catch-up and plasticity in physical, socioemotional
and cognitive development. The
Emanuel Miller Memorial Lecture 2006. Journal of
Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47, 1128-1245.
Van iJzendoorn, M. H., & Sagi, a. (1999). Cross-cultural
patterns of attachment: Universal and contextual
dimensions. in J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver
(Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research
and clinical applications (pp. 713-734). New york,
Ny: The Guilford Press.
Verrier, N. (1993). The Primal Wound: Understanding
the Adopted Child. Baltimore: Gateway Press.
Vorria, P., Ntouma, M., Vairami, M., & Rutter, M.
(2015). attachment relationships of adolescents
who spent their infancy in residential group care:
The Greek ‘Metera’ study. Attachment & Human
Development, 17 (3), 257-71.»
Vorria, P., Papaligoura, Z., Dunn, J., Van iJzendoorn,
M. H., Steele, H., Kontopoulou, a., & Sarafidou, y.
(2003). Early experience and attachment relationships
of Greek infants raised in residential
group care. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry,
(8), 1208-1220.
Vorria, P., Papaligoura, Z., Sarafidou, J., Kopakaki,
M., Dunn, J., Van iJzendoorn, M. H., & Kontopoulou,
a. (2006). The development of adopted
children after institutional care: a follow-up study.
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47
(12), 1246-1253.
