Attachment States of Mind and Couple Relationships in Couples Seeking to Adopt

Abstract

We present the results of a study carried out in Italy with 39 Italian couples seeking to adopt, aged between 35 and 45 years, and 39 matched non-adoptive couples which compared their attachment states of mind with respect to caregivers and partners and quality of couple relationship. Both partners of the couples completed individually measures of attachment to caregiver (Adult Attachment Interview; AAI), attachment to partner (Current Relationship Interview; CRI and Experiences in Close Relationships Scale-Revised; ECR-R) and marital quality (Dyadic Adjustment Scale; DAS). The results showed that couples seeking to adopt did not differ from the control group with respect to attachment to caregivers (AAI). However potential adoptive fathers were more likely to show secure attachment classifications with respect to partner (CRI) than non-adoptive fathers. Finally, couples seeking to adopt expressed higher levels of positive feelings and thoughts within the couple relationship (ECR-R) and better perceived quality of marital relationship (DAS) than the control group. Overall, these findings suggested that couples seeking to adopt placed a high value on attachment relationships, which is considered a relevant factor for positive outcome of adoption

A proposal for a brief-term post-adoption intervention in the attachment-perspective: a single case study with a late-adopted child and his adoptive mother

“…The coding system is also similar to that of the AAI because interview transcripts are used and analysed on three sets of scales: participant's history; partner and participant variables, and current states of mind. Classification in terms of attachment categories -Secure (S), Dismissing (D), Preoccupied (P), Unresolved (U) -is based on the scores for each scale and on an overall assessment of the interview (Pace et al, 2015b).…”

“…Assuming that the quality of the marital relationship plays a very important role in the child's attachment patterns and adaptation, this intervention paid attention to couple attachment representations, considered as a protective or risk factor from the parental stress during the transition to parenthood in adoptive parents (Pace et al, , 2015bSalcuni et al, 2015).…”

“…Moreover, literature on adoptive parents showed the protective role of the parents' secure attachment states of mind and their romantic relationships on the parenting functioning and stress, which in turn may influence child adaptation (Goldberg & Smith, 2014;Grotevant & McDermott, 2014;Lionetti, Pastore, & Barone, 2015;Pace, Santona, Zavattini, & Di Folco, 2014;Pace, Santona, Zavattini, & Di Folco, 2015b;Palacios & Brodzinsky, 2010;Salcuni, Miconi, Altoè, & Moscardino, 2015). In recent years, several brief-term clinical interventions were developed for supporting the growing attachment bonds in adoptive and foster families, e.g.…”

Attachment states of mind among internationally adoptive and foster parents

“…As a result, it was not possible to test whether the distributions of the various AAI classifications for these parents differed from the distributions for low- and high-risk parents. Recently, four additional studies involving the AAI states of mind of adoptive parents (Barone & Lionetti, 2012; Lionetti, 2014; Pace, Santona, Zavattini, & Di Folco, 2015; Santona & Zavattini, 2005) and two additional studies involving foster parents (Ballen, Bernier, Moss, Tarabulsy, & St.-Laurent, 2010; Jacobsen, Ivarsson, Wentzel-Larsen, Smith, & Moe, 2014) have been reported. These studies have produced highly variable estimates of the distributions of the AAI classifications among internationally adoptive and foster parents.…”

How adolescents with anorexia nervosa and their parents perceive family functioning?

“…For this reason, families are often considered as a significant resource and are included in intervention programs (e.g. Le Grange, 2005;Le Grange et al, 2010;Pace et al, 2015). Specifically for eating disorders, intervention studies reported that adolescents with AN respond well to family therapy, in particular, family-based interventions seem to be useful and effective if they are the main form of treatment (e.g.…”