Introduction
When potential fathers and mothers decide to foster or adopt a child, they often envision their family’s future, looking up to the “standard” family represented in commercials and photographs in glossy publications – mum, dad, and two gorgeous children. However, this is not the norm even in households with blood children. Furthermore, when young children enter an institution, they are exposed to many individuals, where interactions with adults and peers are repetitive, unemotional, and limited to simple pleas, requests, and control.
Adoptive parents must first understand the causes of attachment problems and be familiar with “therapeutic parenting” practices (Schröder et al. 152139). As a result, most youngsters develop surface-level emotions, are disinterested in social relationships, and do not form strong emotional bonds with peers and adults. Children who grow up in foster care very often suffer from attachment disorder because they are not familiar with a warm relationship with their parents, have experienced trauma, or have been deprived of emotional closeness.
Attachment Disorder
The Nature and Importance of Attachment
Attachment is the desire for and attempts to maintain intimacy with another person. Attachment is an intrinsic urge. Deep emotional bonds to significant persons are actually a need of life for children: newborns left without emotional warmth can die despite good care. Attachment issues may be a problem for foster parents. Psychological attachment is a sensation of intimacy that develops in a newborn, initially with the mother and subsequently with other key adults, due to sustained contact and repetition of meaningful experiences (Turner et al. 105585). Closeness to the mother aids the child’s ability to form relationships with others later in life.
Consequences of Emotional Deprivation in Early Childhood
It is assumed that a lack of care, including emotional deprivation, disrupts the attachment formation process, thereby hindering the development of social relationships (such as sympathy, solidarity, respect, appreciation, gratitude, friendship, and love), interests, hobbies, and prosocial behaviors. According to some psychologists, attachment development primarily occurs during the first 3-4 years of life following birth (Dalgaard et al. 62). If attachments arise later after this essential moment, they are untrustworthy: shallow, fragile, and equivocal.
Behavioral Patterns in Children with Attachment Deficiencies
The absence of significant emotional attachments with parents and close others is the primary symptom of reactive attachment disorder. This results in a future inability to build intimate connections with other individuals in clinically essential situations. The overall effect of attachment deficiency is the incapacity of patients to internalize prosocial impulses and transform them into personality traits. Thus, personality development is hindered and skewed, especially when youngsters are exposed to unfavorable social settings.
Excessive inhibition, reluctance, distrust, and a desire to avoid dialogue with those around them, as well as conflicting reactions to those who care about them, often become apparent in a portion of such patients (probably about half of them) during childhood. This is most likely due to the children’s significant anxiety, dread of communicating, and fear of social settings.
In contrast, another subset of individuals exhibits “diffuse attachment” or “indiscriminate sociability”(Forslund et al. 4). Such youngsters readily make contact with strangers and behave with them as if they have known them for a long time and well. At the same time, they do not experience uneasiness, concerns, or natural caution. They can be somewhat candid – sharing everything about themselves, including their shady activities, as if they are not recognizing the boundaries of what can and should not be done and spoken. Patients can also be obtrusive, familial, and oblivious to people’s age or socioeconomic class. Despite their apparent friendliness, they lack stable bonds.
Both types of patients do not emulate the people around them, do not look up to anyone, and, most of the time, do not know who or what they want to be in the future. Even if they are bright and intelligent, teaching them something is tough since their interests are restricted, shallow, and unstable. It is challenging to teach children discipline, neatness, and order, and to hold them accountable for their actions. They are not obligated, do not keep their commitments, and may cheat without guilt.
Long-Term Effects and Challenges in Institutionalized Upbringing
Behavior is often characterized by impulsiveness, a reliance on fleeting impulses, and the unpredictability of external conditions. They are also irritable and unable to control their emotions and instincts. They are usually curious but do not have persistent or profound interests.
Sometimes they are quickly drawn to something or someone, but this attraction only lasts a short time. Usually, they cannot be deeply attracted to something for a long time, and, more severely, they struggle to build and sustain solid interpersonal connections. Many individuals do not develop critical prosocial interests, which inhibits their professional orientation and mastery of labor skills. In maturity, they are unlikely to be capable of friendship, respect, and, even more so, love, and self-respect is not unique to them, but their self-esteem may be extremely sharp (Forslund et al. 8). There are difficulties in the formation of moral norms; often, even in adult patients, there is a significant moral deficit.
Many of them grow up in children’s institutions, where teachers and educators patronize them, protect them from life’s difficulties, take responsibility for them, make decisions on their behalf, and are always ready to offer advice, encouragement, and support through participation. Carers and educators state that they are barred from involving children and adolescents in labor or forcing them to work because existing guidelines equate this to harsh treatment. Internal refusal to accept the life experiences of others, combined with the fostering of reliance, results in children who do not develop emotionally and cognitively at the same rate as their peers from well-off households.
Causes of Attachment Disorder in Foster Children
Early Attachment, Disruption of Parental Bonds and Its Consequences
In infancy, the infant does not recognize himself as a separate individual but instead sees himself as a part of his mother. Only when the first year’s crisis has passed does the newborn learn to see himself as a distinct individual (Román et al. 105308). If the infant has not had contact with his birth mother since birth, he will have difficulties with attachment development.
There are cases where a kid was born and raised in a native family before being taken away for unknown reasons. If the parents abused the newborn, were alcoholics, or did not care for the child, the sense of attachment may not have developed at all. Such youngsters are violent towards people who are weaker than they are, and they generally ingratiate themselves with adults.
A sense of connection was created if the kid grew up in a wealthy home, but it changed after the parents passed away. The effects of such a disruption in attachment development can be smoothed out by quickly replacing the attachment figure with a new one (placement of the child in a family). If the child is placed in a shelter or orphanage with an “impersonal” upbringing, the adverse outcomes are exacerbated. Changes in the adults caring for the child (e.g., instructors or nannies in the child’s home, transfers from one group to another within the same institution, or transfers from one institution to another) can also impact attachment disruption (Román et al., 105308).
Another possibility is that the youngster, fearful of suffering the anguish of loss again, interacts with adults warily and avoids closeness. The establishment of the child’s attachment to the new family may progress differently depending on the child’s age when they enter a foster home, the circumstances of their prior place of care (such as birth family, orphanage, or boarding school), personal qualities, and numerous other factors. Adopted children are unusual in their distrust of their new parents: youngsters do not trust people, anticipating a second betrayal. Parents frequently complain about their kids ‘ rebellious and provocative behavior, claiming that the youngster does not appreciate their efforts and treats them with mischief and hooliganism.
The child’s behavior is explained by the fact that he is testing the new parents’ strength – whether they can resist and love him enough not to betray him. After joining the family, the adopted kid will not show connection and will, at best, exhibit fear in the absence of new parents or their attempts to leave home. Children who join orphanages as a result of parental desertion or restriction of parental rights develop physically and mentally differently from children raised in households. Such youngsters had a strict and painful upbringing. Instead of care and compassion, their irresponsible parents frequently humiliated and abused them. The street “picked them up” and “gave” them bad habits.
When children are unable to create a solid link with their parents or those who have replaced them, they develop reactive attachment disorder and other attachment difficulties. This can occur for several reasons. When a youngster screams, no one reacts or provides a safe atmosphere for the child (Engler et al. 252). A hungry or wet youngster is left alone for hours because no one stares, chats, or smiles at the newborn, and the baby is lonely. As the examples show, sometimes the conditions that lead to attachment issues are unavoidable, but the child is too young to understand what happened and why. He believes that no one cares about him, so he loses faith in others, making the world a hazardous place for him.
Deprivation and Its Cognitive, Emotional, and Social Effects
Almost all psychologists agree that early childhood deprivation is the primary culprit. Deprivation is defined in the psychological literature as a mental state resulting from a long-term limitation of human capabilities in meeting sufficiently basic mental needs; it is characterized by pronounced deviations in emotional and intellectual development, as well as a disruption of social contacts. Deprivation often results in a noticeable delay in speech development, mastery of social and hygiene skills, and the development of fine motor abilities. Delay in acquiring fine motor skills is crucial not only because it may hinder a child from mastering the process of writing and, as a result, complicate their schooling, but there is a large amount of research proving the link between fine motor skill development and speech (Román et al., 105308).
To eradicate the repercussions of deprivation, it is vital to address not only the deprivation situation itself but also the issues that have already formed as a result of it. Children living in institutions, particularly those brought to a children’s home at a young age, experience all of the deprivation outlined above. They are given far too little developmentally relevant knowledge at a young age.
Cognitive (intellectual) deprivation happens because the youngster has no control over what is occurring to him; nothing depends on him – whether he wants to eat or sleep. A kid raised in a household might protest by refusing to eat if they are not hungry, refusing to dress, or, conversely, refusing to undress. Moreover, in most situations, parents consider the child’s reaction. However, it is physically impossible in a childcare center, even the best, to feed children only when they are hungry and not refuse to eat (Symanzik et al. 37).
As a result, these children become accustomed to the fact that nothing is dependent on them at first, and this manifests itself not only at the household level – very often, they cannot even answer the question of whether they want to eat, which later leads to the fact that their self-determination in more critical issues is extremely difficult. When asked, “What do you want to be?” or “Where do you want to study further?” they frequently respond, “I don’t know,” or “wherever they are told.” It is obvious that, in fact, people frequently do not have the option to choose, but even when they do, they frequently are unable to do so.
Emotional deprivation arises from adults’ lack of emotional responsiveness when speaking with children. He does not have an emotional response to his behavior – he experiences excitement upon meeting and unhappiness if anything goes wrong. As a result, the youngster is deprived of the opportunity to learn how to manage his behavior, loses faith in his emotions, and develops a habit of avoiding eye contact (Bruce et al. 152). Furthermore, it is this form of deprivation that makes a child’s transition to a family considerably more difficult.
Social deprivation occurs when children lack the opportunity to study, understand the practical applications of, and play the roles of father, mother, grandmother, grandfather, kindergarten teacher, store clerk, and other adults. The child care center’s closed system adds another layer of intricacy. Children know far less about their surroundings than those in a family.
Challenges in Forming New Attachments and the Role of Childhood Trauma
The conditions in which the child lived in the family, the nature of his relationships with his parents, whether there was an emotional attachment within the family, or whether there was rejection of the child by his parents, are all essential. At first glance, it appears paradoxical that establishing a new connection is more favorable when the child grows up in a home with an established attachment between parent and child.
A youngster who grew up without learning connections will find it challenging to bond with new parents. In this case, the kid’s experience is essential. Suppose the child had a positive experience creating a relationship with an adult. In that case, it is more difficult for him to survive the separation, but it is easier for him to build a normal relationship with another major adult in the future.
Another factor might be childhood trauma (physical, sexual, or psychological). Children who have seen domestic abuse may develop strong attachments to their violent parents. This is because, for most children growing up in households where violence is the way of life, such relationships are the only ones known until a certain age (typically early adolescence) (Schröder et al. 152139). Children who have been abused for many years and from a young age might expect the same or comparable mistreatment in new relationships and may utilize some of the coping methods they have previously acquired.
Abuse and Neglect as a Cause of Attachment Disorders
Psychological abuse is the persistent humiliation, insult, bullying, and mockery of a youngster in a specific home. This is the most challenging sort of violence to recognize and measure since the lines between violence and nonviolence are hazy in this scenario. However, psychological counseling practice demonstrates that most children and adolescents are reasonably competent in distinguishing between sarcasm and mockery, reproaches and lectures, and bullying and humiliation.
Psychological violence is especially hazardous since it is not a one-time occurrence but rather an established pattern of behavior, which means a style of interacting with family members. A youngster who was subjected to psychological abuse (ridicule, humiliation) in the family was not only the target of such behavior but also observed it. In most cases, this aggression is directed not only at the child but also towards the spouse.
Attachment disorder can also be caused by neglect (failure to address a child’s physical or emotional needs). Neglect is defined as a parent’s or caregiver’s continuous failure to provide a child’s fundamental requirements for food, clothes, shelter, medical treatment, education, safety, and supervision (care involves meeting physical and emotional needs). Inconsistent or unsuitable childcare at home or in a facility is also considered neglect.
For example, two children, aged 8 and 12, came to the shelter after their mother left them at home to visit relatives (Schröder et al. 152139). The children were forced to fend for themselves. They had to fend for themselves because their mother had left no food for them at home, so they stole and begged. They took good care of their health and did not attend school.
It is normal for youngsters to “forget” to pick up their siblings from kindergarten or the hospital. It is very uncommon for a child, even from a seemingly well-off family, to be purposefully placed in a hospital for holidays or vacations (we are not talking about emergency surgery). Moreover, while parents may assert that the child was admitted on New Year’s Eve and held in the hospital longer, some do not hesitate to say, “So that we can rest.”
Conclusion
Thus, attachment development in the child begins in the womb, when the mother’s emotional and physical messages are delivered to the child. The first three years create the groundwork for all subsequent partnerships. The kid’s attachment manifests when the youngster attempts to express a need or discomfort to the parent. When the parent complies, the kid relaxes, and the bond deepens or strengthens.
If a loving and caring adult is not present during these times, the child develops an attachment problem. If the preceding elements persist throughout a child’s first two years of life and numerous preconditions occur concurrently, the likelihood of attachment problems increases. Foster parents should not anticipate the child to display a positive emotional connection soon after joining the household. At best, he will feel nervous when no adults are around or when he seeks to leave the house.
Works Cited
Bruce, Molly, et al. “Reactive attachment disorder in maltreated young children in foster care.” Attachment & Human Development 21.2 (2019): 152-169. Web.
Dalgaard, Nina Thorup, et al. “Holding a foster child’s mind in mind: study protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial of mentalization-based therapy (MBT) for foster families.” BMC Psychology 11.1 (2023): 62. Web.
Engler, Amy D., et al. “A systematic review of mental health disorders of children in foster care.” Trauma, Violence, & Abuse 23.1 (2022): 255-264. Web.
Forslund, Tommie, et al. “Attachment goes to court: Child protection and custody issues.” Attachment & Human Development 24.1 (2022): 1-52. Web.
Román, Maite, JesĂşs Palacios, and Helen Minnis. “Changes in Attachment Disorder symptoms in children internationally adopted and in residential care.” Child Abuse & Neglect 130 (2022). Web.
Schröder, Martin, et al. “Attachment disorder and attachment theory–Two sides of one medal or two different coins?.” Comprehensive Psychiatry 95 (2019). Web.
Symanzik, Tabea, et al. “Stability and change of attachment disorder symptoms and interpersonal problems in foster children.” Mental Health & Prevention 13 (2019): 35-42. Web.
Turner, Fiona, et al. “The expected and the unexpected in recovery and development after abuse and neglect: the role of early foster carer commitment on young children’s symptoms of attachment disorders and mental health problems over time.” Child Abuse & Neglect 127 (2022). Web.