Foster Children Attachment Styles

From an evolutionary perspective, John Bowlby made the connection that children form an attachment to their parents in the best interest of survival. Therefore, in a well functioning parent-infant relationship, infants learn to seek their parents in frightening situations and use them as a secure base (Hesse, 2014). However, Mary Ainsworth exemplifies that this is not the case for all infants. In the Strange Situation Study, Mary Ainsworth discovered three fundamental attachment styles: secure, ambivalent, and avoidant attachment. A fourth attachment style was later discovered by Main and Solomon and classified as disorganized attachment. These are known as the four fundamental unidirectional types of attachment between an infant and their caregiver. These relationship patterns are often established between infant and primary caregiver during their early stages of life. In the following, I will exemplify how these attachment styles differ when the infant experiences significant disruptions in their family relationships because of changes in caregivers and separation from imprisoned parents?

In America it is stated that 1 in every 84 children live in foster care circumstances via "Statistics on Foster Care". There is a numerous amount of contrasting children from various backgrounds and ages living within these special housing homes, and many are repeatedly in and out from unstable circumstances. As children grow and mature into the new faces of the world, they face many obstacles and tribulations that will alter their lives. Living in fostering homes is a substantial example and the effects of living in these institutions can truly be great.

According to the Children’s Bureau, there were 427,910 children in the foster care system in 2016. Placements in a foster family have dramatically increased over the last ten years. For some young children and young adults in the foster care system, they have experienced abuse and neglect and have been removed from their parents. Other children have suffered a variety of parental problems such as drug addiction, abandonment, incarceration, mental and physical impairments and death. These painful experiences associated with maltreatment and the trauma of being removed from parents or caregivers can affect the mental health and development of these young people. “ Most children in foster care, if not all experience feelings of confusion,

Ronald Kessler, an American journalist, author of the article "Effects of Enhanced Foster Care on the Long-term Physical and Mental Health of Foster Care Alumni" claims, ¨child maltreatment is a significant risk factor for adult mental disorders and physical illnesses¨ (2). Child maltreatment is not only a risk factor for children, but it is also the number one reason children are put into foster care services today. Foster care is when a child is relocated to another home because of a crisis within the biological family. The child or children may be taken out of the adults care for reasons such as abuse, neglect, or abandonment of a child, as well as if the guardian has a personal problem, much like drug addiction. One of the issues grabbing

An adult’s psychological development depends on one’s childhood experiences with adults and their capability of providing nurturance, protection, trust, and security to the developing child. Children with current and previous ties to the foster care system were found to have behavioral, emotional, and social well-being issues. The United States averages more than 400,000 children in foster care during the year. Amongst these 400,000 children, as many as 50% have developmental disorders or psychiatric diagnoses (Hutchinson). Children placed within the foster care system are more likely to be found to have mental health issues due to the inadequacy

When a child is placed into the foster care system they are constantly moved between homes. In the article Foster-Care System Stretched Too Far, a foster mother spoke about a young boy that she adopted after he was forced to stay in "32 different foster homes within a five-year period before she adopted him.” Another young lady named Debbie who was interviewed in the article spoke about being separated from her siblings at the age of five and was consequently placed in 12 different foster homes within a five-year period. Moving between homes can lead stressful situation for the children, often causing them to act out or engage in dangerous

One of this disadvantages of foster care, is there is an instability in the system. At times social workers are unaware that the placement of the child was ruled in court for the return of the child to their parents. Another disadvantage is that the transitory environment of the foster placements has been a problematic component in the child welfare system (Crosson-Tower, 2014, p. 316). Some children already experience attachment issues prior to removal from their home. These issues will further advance and creating more problems with the child. Since foster care is a temporary environment for the child, children may adjust to this temporary placement only to be removed and either return home or be placed with another temporary family. These transitions effect the child’s behaviors and emotions. The goal is to provide the child permanency. However, the foster care system is not meant to

Foster care has a major impact on children and adolescents. There are several areas of a child’s life that is affected by being placed in foster care. When children and adolescent enter into foster care due to abuse or neglect their world can change for better or for worse. A child’s experience before entering foster care predetermines their behavior(s) that will occur while in foster care. Often time’s children have to deal with these life changing events due to a mistake that their parent/guardian made or a lifestyle that their parent/guardian has chosen. In particular, several foster children and adolescent have attachment issues upon entering care (Kelly & Simon, 2014). This topic is concerning because it can help identify the issues that occur when children and adolescents enter into care and help front line service workers assist their families in a more appropriate manner in order to decrease the issues that are due to attachment. The outcome for every child is different, but understanding that attachment disorders is the problem and possible ways to deal with it can assist in making a positive social change in the foster care world.

Everywhere across the world, more and more children are being placed into foster care or a welfare type system. Foster care can benefit children or harm them; the effects of foster care differ for every individual. These types of systems often have a major effect on young children’s physiological state. Children entering in foster care are often malnourished and have untreated health problems. A high percentage of children who are placed in these types of systems have mental health, physical health, and/or developmental issue which often originates while the individuals are still in the custody of the biological parents. Children in foster care should be provided with a healthy and nurturing environment which often provides positive long term results. The age of children in a foster care varies across the world, but it is often seen that majority of these children are young (George para. 1). There are more young children in the system because younger children require more adequate care than older children that are already in the system. Placing these children in welfare systems is supposed to be a healing process for them. Although this is supposed to be a healing process, statistics say these children have a negative experience while being in these systems, but this is not always the case. A number of children in foster care fall sucker to continuous neglect and recurrent abuse with the lack of nurturing and an unstable environment. These same children often have unmet

Foster care is the last resort after everyone else has failed them. Most children don’t understand why there are taken out of their home and put into an unfamiliar environment. Per Foster Children with disabilities, “Twenty percent of the children in foster care are infants under the age of one. Infants and toddlers in the child welfare system exhibit developmental delays four to five times the rate of delay found in general population”. These children are showing delays of physical, emotional, social and cognitive. The reasons for these delays is wide range between being born addicted to substances to children being neglected and there needs and wants not being taken care off. A lot time if an infant is taken from there negative environment and put into foster care they see better results in the long run. Children who are from age ten and up are often put in a group home and still have problem all through life. There is a growing problem of children in Foster care who has disabilities who aren’t getting there needs meet due to resources and funding from the state. Children with disabilities in foster care do not receive access to comprehensive assessments,

Ruckel has multiple caregivers and that includes is mother, his adoptive family and his orphanage. Unlike Tree-ear he does not work for his food, but he is unhealthy. Ruckel does not have a purpose. Growing up he was abused. “Researchers began studying the children in Romanian orphanages after the nation’s brutal and repressive government was overthrown in 1989.

Attachment is a term used to describe the dependency relationship a child develops towards his or her primary caregivers. It is first observable during the latter half of the first year of life and develops progressively over the first four years of life. It is most readily observed in the behavior of children when they are sick, injured, tired, anxious, hungry or thirsty. Although early attachment research focused on the mother and infant, it is now generally accepted that children develop multiple attachment relationships. An ‘attachment figure’ is defined as someone who provides physical and emotional care has continuity and consistency in the child’s life, and who has an emotional investment in the child’s life. This can include parents (biological, foster, adopted), grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles, and alternate caregivers (e.g. child-care workers). Given that children are able to form multiple attachments, the question has been asked as to which attachment relationship is most influential on children’s developmental outcomes.

48)this indicates the daughter growing become ing her own person. In both short stories there is misunderstandings but how you let it effect you by feeling unloved or to become more definite depends on wether you grow or stay

An infant with a secure attachment style has a natural bond with their parent, where they are able to trust them, at the same time leaving their side to discover and explore their surroundings. In an insecure/resistant attachment the relationship the child has with their mother or caregiver is very clingy, thus making them very upset once the caregiver is away. When the mother or caregiver is back they are not easily comforted and resist their effort in comforting them. In an insecure/avoidant attachment the infant is, “indifferent and seems to avoid the mother, they are as easily comforted by a stranger, as by their parent” (Siegler 2011, p.429). Lastly, the disorganized/disoriented attachment is another insecure attachment style in which the infant has no way of coping with stress making their behavior confusing or contradictory. Through these brief descriptions of the attachment theory, many researchers have defined the turning point in which each attachment definition can have an influence on one’s self esteem, well-being and their marital relationship.

In comparing, Allan and Bacon (2010) provide helpful information on bonding and attachment, which resembles that of object relations, and attachment style. Although the authors refer to bonding and attachment as it relates to child abuse and neglect, the information provides insight to the importance of parents’ involvement and child’s development (Alan & Bacon, 2010). As a result, this enables the child to replicate this attachment with others in their lives, as they go on to forge new relationships however; when the child is inconsistently parented within the family of origin during developmental, or the child is abused and neglected, healthy attachment is impacted, which creates not only the child’s inability to bond with others, but