Attachment Representations and Early Adversity in Internationally Adopted Children from Russian Federation Using the Friends and Family Interview

Abstract

Extant literature suggests that adopted children can generate new attachment bonds with adoptive parents, although early adversity leaves an enduring mark. This research was focused on attachment representations when adoptees from Russia were reaching their adolescence. The participants were 29 adoptees and 38 children from a control group, aged between 8 and 13 years. The Friends and Family Interview, a semi-structured interview, assessed the narrative’s coherence, reflective function, internal working models, and attachment classification. Children’s narrative was coded into numerical data by two coders with high interrater reliability. Adopted children were classified 41% secure, 35% dismissing, 14% preoccupied, and 10% disorganized (82% secure in the control group). Children’s age, gender and verbal IQ, and family structure –but not mother’s academic level nor placement variables– were related to attachment variables in both groups. Although adoption offers a protective context that promotes secure attachment, insecurity and disorganization are still evident.