Foster children becoming parents: Case studies in attachment

The purpose of this study was to investigate positive influences that may lead former foster children to provide a secure attachment base for their own children. Attachment theory posits that a child's perception of the emotional availability of a primary caregiver causes a predictable organization of that child's behaviors into a behavioral system. Over time, this behavioral system is generalized through the individual's mental representations of attachment. Main, Kaplan, and Cassidy (1985) found a strong connection between what was later termed an adult's "state of mind with respect to attachment," (as evaluated on the Adult Attachment Interview [AAI]), and the security of an infant's attachment to that adult. As a result of the development of this instrument, two pathways to secure/autonomous state of mind with respect to attachment were identified (Hesse, 2008). The first pathway is continuous security, where a secure attachment from infancy onward contributes to the secure state of mind. The other pathway is termed "earned-secure," in which, despite early negative attachment experiences, an adult exhibits a coherent understanding of attachment-related issues and the adult's children form secure attachments to that adult (Hesse, 2008). Although more extensive research in the area of earned security is needed, the AA is of these adults typically show evidence of at least one significant relationship, whether therapeutic, romantic, or a close friendship, that has allowed this shift of attachment status (Siegel, 1999). This study was conducted as a case study, involving three former foster children who are now "effective" parents. The research tool was a 90-120 minute interview, based on the AAI, asking open-ended questions about the participants' past and current relationships. The stories of each participant were different, yet certain themes did emerge. Their stories varied in how and when they entered foster care and what they encountered while in the system, but they all identified a combination of positive and negative factors that have helped mold their current parenting attitudes and practices. For all three women, their grandmothers played an important role in their lives, as did various other supportive relationships. They also reported that they were influenced by the concept of what constitutes "normal." All three women seemed to be able to evaluate the positive and negative attributes of the significant people in their lives. Therapy was not identified as a source of support by any of the three participants