An examination of the attachment process from childhood to romantic relationships among young adults raised in long-term and adoptive foster care

This is a qualitative study that seeks to examine the foster care experience through the narratives of fifteen participants. This study specifically examines how foster care and family disruptions impact a young adult\u27s ability to form and establish meaningful and trusting romantic relationships. The data were collected from interviews of young adults raised in long-term foster care and adoptive foster care placements. As I set out to explore the foster care experience, I noted the recurring themes that resonated from interviews with the participants. Participants\u27 experiences and understandings of attachment are reflected in my findings.;Many researchers, such as John Bowlby, have long argued that the attachments that infants form or fail to form with their caregivers have life long implications for future relationships. But attachment researchers have overlooked the institution of foster care and the ways it shapes children\u27s lives. This study examines lifelong attachment processes and examines the attachment process of young adults raised in foster care and adoptive foster placements. Specifically, this study examines how romantic relationships are viewed, established, and often avoided by young adults raised in foster care