Search

Studying the attachment representations of child welfare workers can benefit workers and the vulnerable populations they serve. The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) is the most widely used and well-validated measure of adult attachment but is also costly and time-consuming to score. Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC), a text-analysis software program, has the potential to lessen the burden of AAI scoring, making it a lower-cost, faster option for providing basic attachment representation information. In the current study, we explore the use of the LIWC in the AAI transcripts of 239 child welfare professionals. Findings indicate that subsets of LIWC categories could distinguish the AAI transcripts of individuals coded as dismissing, preoccupied, and secure-autonomous in attachment. Further, a subset of LIWC categories predicted AAI classification. Specifically, discriminant function analysis revealed two functions, activation and incoherence, that accurately classified 66.2% of AAI transcripts. Implications for the child welfare workforce are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children who have experienced early adversities are at risk for behavioral problems and trauma symptoms. Using a two-group, pre–post intervention design, the authors evaluated the effectiveness of an online parent training for Trust-Based Relational Intervention, a trauma-informed, attachment-based intervention, in reducing behavioral problems and trauma symptoms in at-risk adopted children. Children of parents in the treatment group (n = 48) demonstrated significant decreases in behavioral problems and trauma symptoms after intervention. Scores for children in a matched-sample control group did not change. Findings suggest this intervention can effectively reduce behavioral problems and trauma symptoms in children with histories of adversities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Research has documented a relationship between adult attachment representations and client relationships and outcomes for professionals in relationship-based fields (e.g., Bernier & Dozier, 2002; Blakely, Chappell, & Dziadosz, 2011; Dozier, Cue, & Barnett, 1994; Romano, Fitzpatrick, & Janzen, 2008; Tyrrell, Dozier, Teague, & Fallot, 1999; White, 2004; Zegers, Schuengel, van Ijzendoorn, & Janssens, 2006), but has not examined the child welfare professionals specifically. The current study examined attachment representations of 54 child welfare professionals. The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) was administered to participants prior to attending a professional workshop. Results indicated significant differences between the AAI distribution of child welfare professionals and a non-clinical norm sample (AAI four-way distribution: Goodness of fit χ 2 =23.63, p<.01; Bakermans-Kranenburg & van IJzendoorn, 2009). Dismissing classifications were overrepresented and free-autonomous classifications were underrepresented. Results may indicate challenges in the child welfare system that could alter the effectiveness and decision-making processes of child welfare professionals. Further research is needed to evaluate whether these differences are typical for samples of child welfare professionals and if so, the impact it could have on families who are being served. Effective interventions, focused on shifting attachment from insecure to secure, for child welfare professionals also should be explored through further research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Family drawings are thought to be a valuable tool for assessing attachment representations, but have not often been used with post-institutionalized adopted children thought to be at risk for attachment disturbances. The current study compared family drawings from a sample of post-institutionalized adopted children to a sample of children who entered their family by birth with similar levels of executive functioning. All families were residing in a major metropolitan area in the southwestern United States of America. Drawings were scored using Fury, Carlson, and Sroufe (1997) rating scales. The overall pattern of findings indicates family drawings of at risk adopted children and biological comparison children differ significantly in both objective scores and subjective ratings, suggesting that children in the adopted sample are at greater risk for attachment-related disturbances than children in the comparison sample. These findings corroborate other studies reporting attachment difficulties in post- institutionalized adopted children and indicate that family drawings are a sensitive and valid approach to assessing disturbances related to attachment representations during childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]