Internal representations of attachment in Story Stems: changes in the narratives of foster care children

Abstract

Children in care, whose early experiences have often involved significant discontinuity and adversity, are at risk of developing insecure attachments with negative internal representations. This study aimed to explore changes in their internal representations over a one-year period, as well as potential factors that could influence them. The Story Stem Assessment Profile (SSAP) was administered at two time points twelve months apart, to 19 children between five and ten years old (M= 7.55, SD= 1.84). Using the SSAP over two time points showed that security representations significantly increased, defensive-avoidance ones decreased, whilst children with fewer previous placements had lower increases in security. The SSAP demonstrates how secure representations can be developed in new situations with more reliable caregivers, but insecure and disorganised ones might be harder and slower to modify, pointing ultimately to the importance of placement stability.