Adoptive Families: The Effects of Early Relational Deprivation in Children Adopted from Eastern European Orphanages

Abstract

Sources of variation in security of attachment and the effects of early institutionalization on the development of attachment were investigated in 124 adoptive families. Participants included 124 children adopted from Eastern European orphanages and their parents. The quality of their attachment relationships varied significantly, depending, in part, on characteristics of both the child and the parent. Specifically, low-secure children had more atypical behavior problems, more developmental delays, and parents who reported significantly more parenting stress than children classified as midsecure and high secure. Regression analysis revealed that the detached and hypersensitive/active behavior ratings, along with the present number of developmental delays, predicted significant amounts of variance associated with security of attachment. Children’s security of attachment scores were not associated with any aspect of their institutional environment but were related to particular child and family characteristics.