Foster Children That Received Improved Relationship from Foster Parents - Essay Example

Foster Children That Received Improved Relationship From Foster Parents Can Develop Secure Attachment (A Research Proposal) Introduction Intervention to improve attachment of foster children, in some studies (Lieberman, 2003, Dozier et al, 2001) showed necessary developments in attachment quality of foster children in foster care. Attachment in foster children cases proved of importance for the continuity of psychosocial development of these children as predictions could be made in the process. Foster care for children from infanthood to pre-school have become prevalent as professional social and health caregivers have become mainstream providers. These fields have become specialized that professional foster care have not only been a necessity for children in institutions for abandoned or orphaned children but also for children from or of healthy, existing parents in a complete or wholesome families. This is due to the lack of time for working parents, specifically mothers, to nurse for their children. Likewise, growing costs of home care also allowed for professional foster caregivers a better option. It is therefore necessary to find out and seek best environments for children needing foster care but this cannot be established without extensive research and findings. Dozier et al (2001) suggested that babies in foster care "organize their attachment behavior around the availability of their new caregivers" although acknowledged that it is possible that previous experiences lessen the babies' chances of forming trusting relationships with new caregivers. Problem Statement: This study will specifically find out if foster children that received improved or high quality relationship from the foster parents can develop secure attachment. It will answer the question will foster children that received high quality or improved relationship from the foster parents can develop secure attachment Hypothesis: Since there are several acknowledged factors that suggest attachment behaviors are organized around the availability of caregivers (Dozier et al, 2001), this study proposes that foster children that received improved or high quality relationship from the foster parents can develop secure attachment. Aim and Objectives: This study aims to establish whether or not foster children that received improved or high quality relationship from the foster parents can develop secure attachment. It will try to establish definitive structure of a "quality relationship" and "secure attachment" and how these could be developed in a foster care setting. Likewise, it will also distinguish foster parental from professional foster care in relation to caring foster children in the process. This study will be relevant as a guide for future and present caregivers, whether foster parents or professional care providers for children from infanthood to pre-school or even schooling children. Dozier et al (2001) suggested that it is necessary to establish attachment quality "because it reflects the quality of the (children's) relationship with the caregiver and [] it is associated with the child's later interpersonal functioning." Likewise, the three aspects: internalizing behavior, externalizing behavior and trouble with peers shall also be considered in this research as these are qualitative factors that define the aim of this study. Background of the Study: Marcus (1991) established that children are "placed in foster care when any local Department of Social Services and the courts have determined that current parental care for those children has fallen below acceptable community standards and the child is at risk to be harmed." While Ericksona and Egeland (1987) proposed that "foster care may be haven from further neglect or abuse," it is possible that child may bring to this arrangement the sequel of maltreatment, including feelings of rejection, lowered self-esteem, mistrust and resentment. Marcus (1991) provided for basis of quality care in the form of social supports, perception of affection from adults, and the quality of children's relationship with adults and friends so that results showed "behavior and school achievement problems were predictable from measures of the quality of attachment with parents." Attachments In a related study, Dozier et al (2001) proposed that babies entering foster care are tasked to form attachments to new primary caregivers so that they organize their attachment behavior around the availability of their new caregivers. With available caregivers in times of need, babies develop expectations that caregivers will be available when needed in the future. Sroufe (1989) further added that the infants seek out comfort they need from caregivers with confident expectation that they will be provided for. Ainsworth et al (1978) classified such infant behavior as having secure attachments to their caregivers. Likewise, when infants do not receive response from caregivers, the babies do not develop confident expectation regarding parental availability but instead develop alternative strategies and that they may turn away from caregivers under stress as if not needing nurture, thus, classified as avoidant attachments (Dozier et al, 2001). Others may seek out caregivers but resist contact, classified as having resistant attachment, and other show a breakdown in strategy when they are distressed and in their caregiver's presence appearing disoriented or disorganized (Main and Solomon, 1990). Classified as having disorganized attachments and further broke down to secure, avoidant or resistant (Dozier, et al, 2001). Secure Attachments Matas et al (1978) suggested that children who develop secure attachments to caregivers show more competent problem solving skills as toddlers while Sroufe (1978) added they could be more confident and independent with teachers as preschoolers. Elicker, et al (1992) added that they also develop more competent interactive behaviors with peers at school age than do other children. Avoidant and Resistant Attachments Insecure but organized attachment strategies may not allow for children substantially increased risk for later disorder (Lewis, et al, 1984) but these children are at risk for a host of problematic outcomes such as aggressive behavior with peers as suggested by Lyons-Ruth et al (1993) as well as dissociative symptomatology throughout childhood (Carlson, 1998). Attachment Factors Mother / Adult caregiver's State of Mind There are various factors that may affect attachment of foster children to foster parents or primary caregivers. While maternal state of mind may be found as a strong predictor for biologically intact mother-infant situation, a caregiver's state of mind with regards to attachment was suggested by van IJzendoorn (1995) as a predictor for infant attachment. In this manner, Main and Goldwyn (1998) defined "attachment state of mind" as the way in which adults process thoughts and feelings of their own attachment experiences. Van IJzendoorn (1995) classified adults that value attachment and are coherent in processing their own attachment experiences as having autonomous states of mind, and are parents that are most likely to develop infant's secure attachment to them. The opposite kind of adults who are not coherent in processing their own attachment-related experiences have non-autonomous states of mind and usually violate rules of conversational discourse in various forms. Others are classified as having dismissing state of minds of which adults are lacking of coherence when it comes to attachments, and most likely to develop infants with avoidant attachments to them (van IJzendoorn, 1995). Reoccupied states of mind adults show angry involvement with attachment figures or ramble in their discourse providing excessive if not irrelevant details in their attachment issues, and thus are likely to produce babies with resistant attachments (van IJzendoorn, 1995). Another are adults that show a breakdown in reasoning or discourse and are classified by van IJzendoorn (1995) as unresolved which produce infants with disorganized attachments. Further, unresolved adults are given secondary classification as autonomous, dismissing and preoccupied. Main and Hesse (1990) suggested that unresolved state of mind wields more influence on parenting than the secondary autonomous, dismissing or pre-occupied state of mind. And that they tend to behave in ways that are frightening to children. Further and recent finding, nevertheless suggested that the possibility that this unresolved maternal state of mind and infant disorganized attachment maybe limited to those unresolved mothers with secondary classifications ((Schuengel et al, 1999). Genetic Factors In 1995, Fox questioned whether the association between caregiver state of mind and child attachment is a function of biological relatedness or shared temperament and not the caregiving environment. Goldsmith and Alansky (1987) argued there is a possibility of some form of genetic transmission with infant attachment quality. Dozier et al (2001) argued that although "genetic transmission is the primary source of covariation between maternal state of mind and infant attachment security, little association should be found among non-biologically related mother-infant dyads." Child's Own Traumatic Experience Although intervention through foster care may serve as haven, Erickson and Egeland (1987) suggested that child could continue the sequence of maltreatment, feelings of rejection, low self-esteem, mistrust and resentments. Likewise, Lieberman (2003) acknowledged earlier suggestions (Bowlby, 1988) that "child's mistrust originates in external circumstances [] actual absence of a consistent and predictably loving caregiver during the child's formative years (and) internalized as a convicyion that the child is inherently undeserving of love." Lieberman (2003) further suggested that "attachment-influenced treatment remains relevant in conceptualizing intervention approaches for children showing attachment disorder behaviors following adoption." Infant-parent psychotherapy and child-parent psychotherapy were suggested to be effective in improving symptoms of attachment disorder of children in foster care with important modifications needing for incorporation (Lieberman, 2003). ECN (2003) underscored pediatric psychologist Silver's presentation of the risks and challenges of children on foster care as "Children who enter foster care tend to be exposed to a large number of factors that place them at risk for developing emotional, behavioral, and learning difficulties. Generally, children in foster care come from backgrounds in which their parents may be struggling with poverty and stressful family dynamics. The children often are exposed to prenatal risk factors, such as limited prenatal care, poor prenatal nutrition, or exposure to drugs and alcohol," (ECN, 2002). In another research, Lieberman (2003) outlined four major findings in a trial intervention study that dealt with children with attachment disorders as follows: In all of the cases (83 clinical charts involving foster care children) the adoptive parents expressed (at least) moderate distress (such as guilt about perceived failures in parental competence, anger at the child for failure to respond, worry of genetic disposition, ambivalence of relational reactions) about the child's behavior. Parents overlooked the children's anxiety and need expressions. Parents "missed the mark" on children's attachment cues, and Adoptive parents were not sufficiently prepared for the challenges of raising a foster care child. It is therefore equally sensitive to tackle on factors affecting attachments, the definition of improved or high-quality relationship as well as other considerations in the establishment of a conclusive data on this research. Methodology: Extensive research and secondary analysis of previous studies regarding the topic will be utilized in order to establish needed data to answer the question posed: Will foster children that receive improved or high quality relationship from the foster parents can develop secure attachment This will include studies from infanthood foster care attachment to early childhood or until pre-school age, adoption or foster care attachment that details the qualitative approach to adoption parenthood and foster care intervention studies to improve psychosocial development and interaction of children in foster care. All sources specially in referencing from previous studies for comparative results shall be properly acknowledged. Secondary analysis will be used for practical reasons as conducting primary research on high quality relationship in foster care of children could be tricky and demanding of details as well as financial resources. Scope and Limitation: The study will try to include the factors that affect quality attachment, procedural methods to establish a desired child-parent relationship in foster care as well results of studies that have been conducted with regards to the effect of the so-called high quality relationship. This study will not go as far later childhood or even pre-teens or teenage foster caring results and other related topics about attachment in foster care. This study will also integrate internalizing behavior, externalizing behavior and trouble with peers. Chapter Outline: Chapter one shall present an overview of the study, aims and objectives, introduction and necessary information with regards to high quality relationship in foster care of children. Chapter two shall deal on related literature, that is, necessary previous as well as recent research on quality relationship in foster care of children, factors affecting attachment in foster care, results of intervention studies on the improvisation of foster care relationships, among other relevant topics as well as internalizing behavior, externalizing behavior and trouble with peers. As much as possible, data will be presented on results of studies with proper critical view of the researcher, if any. Chapter three shall be the presentation of the methodology used with focus on comparative results of intervention for a high-quality relationship between foster children and their adoptive parents or primary caregivers, among other related data to establish qualitative results. Chapter four shall present an analysis of the comparative study and secondary analysis of all data gathered to establish a pattern or a conclusive data. It will try to extract necessary and relevant findings from the featured studies while the Final or fifth chapter will present this research's conclusion and recommendations. Conclusion: This research has started to establish a positive pattern with regards to high quality relationship between parents or primary caregivers with their adoptive or foster children. Secure attachment is very possible in foster care environment and although it was suggested that there are no established guidelines in producing high quality attachment for children with attachment disorder just yet (Lieberman, 2003), Lieberman further suggested "Attachment-influenced treatment remains relevant in conceptualizing intervention approaches" necessary for health and social care professionals to improve the state of foster care relationship between child and parents or primary caregivers. References: Ainsworth, M. M. Blehar, Waters, E. and Wall, S. 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