Conference Agenda

This presentation builds on a unique longitudinal study of adoptive families from a maltreated, late-adopted sample (LA) of children between the ages of four and eight, known the Coram Family/Anna Freud Center “Adoption and Attachment Representations” study.

Data for the “Adoption and Attachment Representations” study has been collected and reported on for over 20 years in three phases, from just prior to placement into the adoptees’ adulthood. Previous data in this study has uniquely assessed attachment representations in non-biological mothers, fathers, and children and included qualities of the child’s cognitive development, behavioral strengths, and difficulties. Some of the most notable findings from the “Adoption and Attachment Representations” study include correlations between the pre-placement Adult Attachment Interview (AAI; George et al., 1984, 1985, 1996; Main et al., 2003) classifications and Parent Development Interview (PDI; Aber et al., 1985) factors. Data revealed that adoptive mothers classified as autonomous-secure via the AAI was significantly correlated with higher scores of reflection (RF) and lower scores of despair/lack of satisfaction on the PDI (Steele et al., 2018).

The current study includes 63 PDI interviews and explores whether the attachment classifications of adoptive parents, as assessed by the pre-placement AAIs predict consistency or change over time in the internal representations of adoptive parents, as measured by the PDI. Preliminary analyses suggest that similar to previous findings in this study, joy/pleasure are higher for parents with autonomous-secure classifications than those with insecure classifications across the three timepoints. Additionally, across time, caregiver’s reflection remained higher for secure than insecure classifications.

Findings from this research importantly assess intergenerational patterns of attachment in nonbiological families which have important policy implications in the best interest of children to promote the power of adoption and attachment bonds, especially for children who experience early adversity.

Background: Children with institutional experience predominantly form insecure and disorganized attachment. Evidence shows that when children were place in adoptive families rates of attachment security significantly increase. However, it is unclear whether adult adoptees with early institutional experience continue to show typical rates of attachment security.

Methods: The Greek Metera study is a prospective longitudinal study beginning whilst infants were living in residential group care, while infants reared in their biological families were recruited as a comparison group. Follow-ups have been conducted at age 4, 13, and 24. Attachment was assessed in infancy (Strange Situation), preschool (Attachment Q sort and Attachment Story Completion Task), adolescence (Child Attachment Interview), and adulthood (Adult Attachment Interview).

Results: In the initial study most infants in residential care formed disorganized attachment (66% vs 25%). At age 4, disorganized attachment in the adopted group significantly decreased from 66% to 10%. At age 13, 44% of the adopted adolescents were classified as insecure compared to 36% of the comparison adolescents. In the 3^rd follow-up, at age 24, from the initial 127 infants, 68 adults participated, 42 adoptees and 26 comparison. Adoptees exhibited significantly higher rates of attachment insecurity (60% vs 31% in the comparison group), and 19% were unresolved versus none in the comparison group. No significant stability was observed in attachment from infancy, preschool, and adolescence to adulthood. Stressful life events predicted insecurity in adulthood (β = −0.33, p = .005). Disorganized attachment in infancy was not associated with attachment insecurity in adulthood (OR = 1.32, 95% CI [0.47, 3.70]).

Implications: Findings show that adult adoptees with early institutional experience have an increased likelihood of attachment insecurity. However, post-adoption cumulative adverse experiences seem to contribute to attachment insecurity. Further research is needed to examine how early and later adversity may interact.

Background. Adolescents with an adoptive history show increased vulnerability of emotional–behavioral problems, attachment security, and dyadic relational difficulties. Although attachment-oriented and trauma-informed frameworks are widely recommended in adoption services, empirically examined interventions specifically targeting adoptive parents of adolescents remain limited.

Objectives. This study explored the feasibility of implementing the Connect Parent Group, an attachment-based and manualized parenting intervention, with groups composed exclusively of adoptive parents. Feasibility was examined for both the standard face-to-face format and a trauma-informed adaptation delivered online.

Methods. Two pilot groups participated in a 10-session intervention. The in-person group included 10 adoptive parents (five mothers, five fathers) of eight internationally adopted adolescents (mean age ≈ 18 years). The online trauma-informed group consisted of nine adoptive parents (four mothers, five fathers) of five adolescents (mean age ≈ 14 years), with mixed domestic and international adoption backgrounds.
Parents completed self-report questionnaires before and immediately after the intervention assessing adolescents’ emotional–behavioral difficulties, parenting-related stress, and perceived quality of the parent–adolescent relationship. Individual-level change was examined using Reliable Change Indexes, and qualitative feedback on acceptability was collected post-intervention.

Results. In both groups, a substantial proportion of parents reported clinically meaningful reductions in adolescents’ emotional–behavioral difficulties and in parenting stress, although change patterns were heterogeneous. Perceived quality of the parent–adolescent relationship remained largely stable. Parents reported high satisfaction. The attachment-based framework was reported to increase reflective awareness in both groups. Only participants in the trauma-informed version particularly valued the focus on pre-adoptive adversity, adoption-specific challenges, and the accessibility of online delivery.

Conclusions. Findings provide preliminary support for the feasibility and acceptability of both standard and trauma-informed Connect Parent Group implementations with adoptive parents of adolescents, warranting further controlled research with larger samples and follow-up assessments.

Discussant