Attachment and early development recovery of children in foster care
Main Article Content
Abstract
In situations involving mistreatment, children are separated from their families and placed in alternative care. While the consequences of mistreatment on a child's development are well-documented, studies on their recovery while in alternative care are lacking. This longitudinal study analyzed early development recovery in 30 children aged up to 36 months old and the impact of the attachment models used by their 20 caregivers on this process. Developmental scales (Prunape and IODI) were used following a child's admission to foster care and after four months with their foster family. Caregivers provided responses to the CaMir Questionnaire. Mixed linear models identified three relational dimensions that helped predict the level of recovery (Family concern, Family support and Recognition of significant others). Children with caregivers who used a secure attachment model showed increased recovery with their early development. Foster care practices based on specific relational styles promote resilience.
Downloads
Article Details
Section

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt - remix, transform, and build upon the material
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
-
Attribution - You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
-
NonCommercial - You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
-
ShareAlike - If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
- No additional restrictions - You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
How to Cite
References
Ainsworth, M., Blehar, M., Waters, E., & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange situation. Erlbaum.
Berástegui, A., & Pitillas, C. (2023). The family keyworker as a critical element for attachment resilience in the face of adversity. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 16(1), 106- 123. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12537
Berzenski, S. R., & Yates, T. (2022). The development of empathy in child maltreatment contexts. Child Abuse & Neglect, 133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105827
Bottinelli, M., Nabergoi, M., Remesar, S., Días, F., & Salgado, P. (2017). Criterios para la aplicación del Instrumento de observación del desarrollo infantil (IODI). Ministerio de Salud; Presidencia de la Nación Argentina.
Bottinelli, M., Salgado, P., Remesar, S., Nabergoi, M., Díaz, F., Ministerio de Salud, & Presidencia de la Nación. (2015). Proceso de validación del IODI: informe final del asesoramiento metodológico para la elaboración del Instrumento de observación del desarrollo infantil. Ministerio de Salud de la Nación; Dirección Nacional de Maternidad e Infancia.
Bowlby, J. (1995). Una base segura: aplicaciones clínicas de la teoría del apego. Paidós.
Carr, A., Duff, H., & Craddock, F. (2020). A systematic review of reviews of the outcome of severe neglect in underresourced childcare institutions. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 21(3), 484-497. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838018777788
Chodura, S., Lohaus, A., Symanzik, T., Heinrichs, N., & Konrad, K. (2021). Foster parents’ parenting and the social-emotional development and adaptive functioning of children in foster care: A Prisma-guided literature review and meta-analysis. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 24(2), 326-347. https://doi.org/gm2f88
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2ª ed.). Erlbaum. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203771587
Cyrulnik, B. (2015). Prólogo. En J. Rubio & G. Puig, Tutores de resiliencia: dame un punto de apoyo y moveré mi mundo. Gedisa.
Deambrosio, M., Gutiérrez, M. Arán-Filippetti, V., & Román, F. (2018). Efectos del maltrato en la neurocognición: un estudio en niños maltratados institucionalizados y no institucionalizados. Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Niñez y Juventud, 16(1), 239-253. https://doi.org/10.11600/1692715x.16114
Dumitrescu, A. M. (2016). The life quality of a child from a foster family in Romania. International E-Journal of Advances in Social Sciences, 2(4), 204-211.
Field, A. (2017). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. Sage.
Fonagy, P., Campbell, C., & Luyten, P. (2023). Attachment, mentalizing and trauma: Then (1992) and now (2022). Brain Sciences, 13(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13030459
García-Quiroga, M., & Hamilton-Giachritsis, C. E. (2017). The crucial role of the micro caregiving environment: Factors associated with attachment styles in alternative care in Chile. Child Abuse & Neglect, 70, 169-179. https://doi.org/gb22h7
George, D., & Mallery, M. (2024). IBM SPSS Statistics 29. Step by step: A simple guide and reference (18 ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032622156
Grauduszus, Y., Sicorello, M., Demirakca, T., von Schoroder, C., Schmahl, C., & Ende, G. (2024). New insights into the effects of type and timing of childhood maltreatment on brain morphometry. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 11394. https://doi.org/pz4t
Han, J. (2020). Attachment representations of maltreated and non-maltreated pre-schoolers in Korea and its association with abuse type, chronicity, and severity: A comparative study. Early Child Development and Care, 190(5), 640-654. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2019.1678607
Hastie, T., Tibshirani, R., & Friedman, J. (2017). The elements of statistical learning: Data mining, inference, and prediction. Springer.
Hébert, M., Langevin, R., & Charest, F. (2020). Disorganized attachment and emotion dysregulation as mediators of the association between sexual abuse and dissociation in preschoolers. Journal of Affective Disorders, 267, 220-228. https://doi.org/gjm8bj
Hernández-Sampieri, R., & Mendoza, C (2018). Metodología de la investigación: las rutas cuantitativa, cualitativa y mixta. McGraw-Hill Education
Humphreys, K., King, L., Guyon-Harris, K., Sheridan, M., McLaughlin, K., Radulescu, A., Nelson, C., Fox, N., & Zeanah, C. (2022). Foster care leads to sustained cognitive gains following severe early deprivation. PNAS, 119(38), e2119318119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2119318119
Kliewer-Neumann, J., Zimmermann, J., Bovenschen, I., Gabler, S., Lang, K., Spangler, G., & Nowacki, K. (2023). Attachment disorder symptoms in foster children: Development and associations with attachment security. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 17(98). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-023-00636-5
Labin, A., Taborda, A., Cryan, G., Moretti, M., Videla Pietrasanta, A., Martínez, M., Morán, V., Piorno, M., & Pierrehumbert, B. (2021). Adaptación y validación preliminar argentina del cuestionario de evaluación del apego (CaMir). Revista de Psicopato-logía y Salud Mental del Niño y Adolescente, 38, 103-118.
Labin, A., Taborda, A., Cryan, G., Sadurni, M., Moretti, M., Martínez, M., Videla, A., Piorno, M., Leporati, J. L., & Pierrehumbert, B. (2022). CaMir. Fundamentos teóricos y directrices para su administración e interpretación en la Argentina. Nueva Editorial Universitaria.
Lejarraga, H., Kelmansky, D., Pascucci, M. C., & Salamanco, G. (2013). Prueba nacional de pesquisa (Prunape). Manual Técnico; Fundación Hospital de Pediatría «Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan».
Lind, T., Raby, K., Caron, E., Roben, C., & Dozier, M. (2017). Enhancing executive functioning among toddlers in foster care with an attachment-based intervention. Development and Psychopathology, 29(2), 575-586. https://doi.org/gkkg85
Lyons-Ruth, K., Li, F., Khoury, J., Ahtam, B., Sisitsky, M., Ou, Y. Enlow, M., & Grant, E. (2023). Maternal childhood abuse versus neglect associated with differential patterns of infant brain development. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 51(12), 1919-1932. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-023-01041-4
Molero, R., Gil, M., & Díaz, I. (2014). Indicadores de la calidad del proceso de acogimiento familiar. International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology, 2(1), 475- 481. http://doi.org/10.17060/ijodaep.2014.n1.v2.463
Moretti, M., & Torrecilla, M. (2023). Cuidados alternativos desde la protección integral de derechos de infancias, niñeces y adolescencias: ¿un posible tutor de resiliencia? En M. Moretti (Comp.), Resiliar en hogares y acogimiento familiar: un desafío necesario para los procesos de reintegros familiares y adopciones (pp. 75-96). La Hendija.
Nelson, C. A., & Gabard-Durnam, L. J. (2020). Early adversity and critical periods: Neurodevelopmental consequences of violating the expectable environment. Trends in Neurosciences, 43(3), 133-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2020.01.002
Nicolaides, N., Kanaka-Gantenbein, C., & Pervanidou, P. (2024). Developmental neuro-endocrinology of early-life stress: Impact on child development and behavior. Current Neuropharmacology, 22(3), 461-474. https://doi.org/pz4v
Olivares-Espinoza, B., & Morales-Retamal, C. (2022). Análisis crítico de las intervenciones de acogimiento residencial en Chile. Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Niñez y Juventud, 20(2), 1-27. https://doi.org/10.11600/rlcsnj.20.2.5070
Palau, P. (2023). Sufrimiento emocional perinatal compartido: estrés en el bebé. Efectos de los mecanismos de adaptación y defensa primarios, vulnerabilidad psicosomática y psicopatológica. Asociación para la Salud Mental Infantil desde la Gestación.
Pierrehumbert, B., Karmaniola, A., Sieye, A., Meisler, C., Miljkovitch, R., & Halfon, O. (1996). Les modelès de relations: Développement d’un autoquestionnaire d’attache-ment pour adultes. Psychiatrie del’ Enfant, 39(1), 161-206.
Pinheiro, J. C., & Bates, D. M. (2009). Mixed-effects models in S and S-Plus. Springer.
Pitillas, C. (2021). El daño que se hereda: comprender y abordar la transmisión intergeneracional del trauma. Desclée de Brouwer.
Pitillas, C. (2023). Las paradojas de la supervivencia: trauma, defensas y (des)adaptación en el niño traumatizado. En M. Moretti (comp.), Resiliar en hogares y acogimiento familiar: un desafío necesario para los procesos de reintegros familiares y adopciones (pp. 49-74). La Hendija.
Raby, K., Freddman, E., Yarger, H., Lind, T., & Dozier, M. (2019). Enhancing the language development of toddlers in foster care by promoting foster parents’ sensitivity: Results from a randomized controlled trial. Developmental Science, 22(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12753
Russotti, J., Warmingham, J., Duprey, E., Handley, E., Manly, J., Rogosch, F., & Cicchetti, D. (2021). Child maltreatment and the development of psychopathology: The role of developmental timing and chronicity. Child Abuse & Neglect, 120. https://doi.org/gmcnnc
Rutter, M. (2006). Implications of resilience concepts for scienti!c understanding. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1094(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/bpdc74
Secretaría Nacional de Niñez, Adolescencia y Familia, & Unicef. (2022). Situación de niñas, niños y adolescentes sin cuidados parentales en la República Argentina. Actualización 2020. Secretaría Nacional de Niñez, Adolescencia y Familia; Unicef.
Stone, K., & Jackson, Y. (2021). Foster family characteristics and mental health symptoms of youth in care. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 30(11), 2792-2807. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02107-x
Szanto, A. (2014). Una mirada adulta sobre el niño en acción: el sentido del movimiento en la protoinfancia. Ediciones Cinco.
Tang, A., Almas, A., Zeytinoglu, S., Zeanah, C., Nelson, C., & Fox, N. (2021). Long-term effects of institutional care and enhanced attachment relationships on close adolescent friendships. Child Development, 92(6), 2431-2446. https://doi.org/gj3qdc
Thomson-Link, S. (2023). Complex trauma regulation in children: A body-based attachment approach. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40320-0
Wade, T., Browden, J., & Jane Sites, H. (2018). Child maltreatment and motor coordination de!cits among preschool children. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 11(2), 159-162. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-017-0186-4
West, D., Vanderfaeillie, J., van Hove, L., Gypen, L., & van Holen, F. (2020). Attachment in family foster care: Literature review of associated characteristics. Developmental Child Welfare, 2(2), 132-150. https://doi.org/10.1177/2516103220915624
West, D., Stas, L., van Holen, F., Gypen, L., & Vanderfaeillie, J. (2024). Effectiveness of a video-feedback intervention to promote positive parenting for foster children. Developmental Child Welfare, 6(1), 23-49. https://doi.org/10.1177/25161032231220922
West, D., van Holen, F., Verheyden, C., Gypen, L., & Vanderfaeillie, J. (2022). Attachment of young foster children. Developmental Child Welfare, 4(4), 270-287. https://doi.org/10.1177/25161032221129287
Winter, S., Dittrich, K., Dorr, P., Overfeld, J., Moebus, I., Murray, E., Karaboycheva, G., Zimmermann, C., Knop, A., Voelkle, M., Entringer, S., Buss, C., Haynes, J., Binder, E., & Heim, C. (2022). Immediate impact of child treatment on mental developmental, and physical health trajectories. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 63(9), 1027-1045. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13550
Yoon, S., Pei, F., Logan, J., Helsabeck, N., Hamby, S., & Slesnick, N. (2023). Early childhood maltreatment and profiles of resilience among child welfare-involved children. Development and Psychopathology, 35(2), 711-723. https://doi.org/jv9d