Attachment in adopted adolescents. National adoption in Chile

María Josefina Escobar, María Pía Santelices

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

28 Scopus citations

Abstract

The focus of this study is on the description of attachment patterns in adopted adolescents, taking into consideration the age when they were adopted and a comparison with the control group of non-adopted adolescents paired by age, gender, educational level and socio-economic level. Participants: 25 adolescents adopted at the age of 6. months of older through national adoption agencies and 25 non-adopted adolescents. To evaluate the patterns of attachment, a semi-structured interview was used: Friends and Family Interview (Steele & Steele, 2005). Results: Statistically significant differences were found in the attachment patterns of adopted and non-adopted adolescents. Adopted adolescents showed a more insecure attachment, a predominantly insecure-avoidant attachment. In conclusion, late adoptions are a risk factor for the development of secure attachment in adopted adolescents.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)488-492
Number of pages5
JournalChildren and Youth Services Review
Volume35
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2013

Keywords

  • Adolescence
  • Adoption
  • Attachment
  • Friends and Family Interview

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