Premium
PREDICTORS OF ATTACHMENT STYLES OF CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE: AN ATTACHMENT THEORY MODEL FOR WORKING WITH FAMILIES
Author(s) -
McWey Lenore M.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of marital and family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.868
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1752-0606
pISSN - 0194-472X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-0606.2004.tb01254.x
Subject(s) - attachment theory , psychology , foster care , structural equation modeling , developmental psychology , style (visual arts) , child care , clinical psychology , social psychology , medicine , nursing , statistics , mathematics , archaeology , history
The purpose of this study was to examinen the attachment styles of children in foster care and to use this information to inform clinical practive (N = 110). When examining the relationship between attachment style and child characteristics, no significant differences were found. A structural equation model hypothesizing the relation of individual characteristics, losses, and family contact to avoidant attachment was then tested. Reslults provided tentative support for the hypothesized model. Implications for therapists include being attentive to attachment injuries, and working to create safe therapeutic environments when working with families involved in the foster care system.