Reactive Attachment Disorder in Adopted and Foster Care Children

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 355-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle A. Stinehart ◽  
David A. Scott ◽  
Hannah G. Barfield
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Reactive Attachment Disorder ◽  
Disorganized Attachment ◽  
Initial Attachment ◽  
Attachment Disorder ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Reactive Attachment

A disruption in the initial attachment formed between an infant and a primary caregiver often leads to some type of disordered or disorganized attachment. While research has been conducted on the etiology, symptoms, and effective forms of therapy regarding this disorder, much definitive information remains unknown or unclear. With the increasing use of foster care in America and the frequency of adoption, it is becoming obvious that more attention is needed in the area of how to best appropriately approach a diagnosis of reactive attachment disorder. This article will discuss current trends and implications for mental health professionals working in the field of foster care and adoption settings.

In-Home Treatment of Reactive Attachment Disorder in a Therapeutic Foster Care System: A Case Example

2003 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl J. Sheperis ◽  
Edina L. Renfro-Michel ◽  
R. Anthony Doggett
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Reactive Attachment Disorder ◽  
Attachment Disorder ◽  
Foster Care System ◽  
System A ◽  
Chronic Trauma ◽  
Reactive Attachment ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Care System

When trauma precedes a child's placement in the foster care system, it can lead to lasting mental health difficulties. Often, children who experience extreme, chronic trauma prior to age 5 develop Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). However, the diagnosis of RAD is often overlooked. This article discusses the characteristics of RAD as well as diagnostic criteria and possible etiology. We present the case example of an adolescent diagnosed with RAD as an example of treatment from an in-home perspective.

scholarly journals Reactive Attachment Disorder in maltreated young children in foster care

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly Bruce ◽  
David Young ◽  
Susan Turnbull ◽  
Maki Rooksby ◽  
Guy Chadwick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Reactive Attachment Disorder ◽  
Attachment Disorder ◽  
Children In Foster Care ◽  
Reactive Attachment

Cultural Mistrust of Mental Health Professionals Among Black Males Transitioning from Foster Care

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 605-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lionel D. Scott ◽  
Henrika McCoy ◽  
Michelle R. Munson ◽  
Lonnie R. Snowden ◽  
J. Curtis McMillen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Black Males ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Cultural Mistrust

scholarly journals Attitudes of Health Professionals and Primary School Staff towards the Separation of Children from Families and Foster Care

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-45
Author(s):  
Suzana Vidović Vondra ◽  
Sanja Narić ◽  
Ana Pavelić Tremac ◽  
Josipa Kurtović
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Foster Children ◽  
Foster Parents ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Foster Care System ◽  
Child Separation

In Croatia, the process of deinstitutionalization of childcare is underway, and it should increase the placement of children in non-institutional forms of care such as foster care. The aim of the study was to examine attitudes towards foster care and child separation among school and adult mental health professionals. The sample consisted of 159 respondents (employees of elementary schools in Kutina, Popovača and Velika Ludina and employees of the Neuropsychiatric Hospital “Dr. Ivan Barbot” in Popovača). The survey covered all relevant sociodemographic variables, and the Scale of Attitudes Towards Separation of Children from Family and the Attitudes Towards Foster Care Scale were used to examine attitudes [Kamenov, Sladovic Franz & Ajdukovic, 2005]. In the sample examined, attitudes to foster care and separation are slightly positive, indicating that there is plenty of room for activities aimed at empowering these views. If further attitudes are to be strengthened, therefore the population of potential future foster parents is also expected to expand. It is important to highlight the role of healthcare professionals involved in the mental health care of foster children and to consider their role in modifying general attitudes towards foster care for children and their role in building an optimal foster care system.

scholarly journals Signs of reactive attachment disorder and disinhibited social engagement disorder at age 12 years: Effects of institutional care history and high-quality foster care

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 675-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn L. Humphreys ◽  
Charles A. Nelson ◽  
Nathan A. Fox ◽  
Charles H. Zeanah
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Institutional Care ◽  
Reactive Attachment Disorder ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Attachment Disorders ◽  
Attachment Disorder ◽  
Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder ◽  
Reactive Attachment

AbstractTwo disorders of attachment have been consistently identified in some young children following severe deprivation in early life: reactive attachment disorder and disinhibited social engagement disorder. However, less is known about whether signs of these disorders persist into adolescence. We examined signs of reactive attachment disorder and disinhibited social engagement disorder at age 12 years in 111 children who were abandoned at or shortly after birth and subsequently randomized to care as usual or to high-quality foster care, as well as in 50 comparison children who were never institutionalized. Consistent with expectations, those who experienced institutional care in early life had more signs of reactive attachment disorder and disinhibited social engagement disorder at age 12 years than children never institutionalized. In addition, using a conservative intent-to-treat approach, those children randomized to foster care had significantly fewer signs of reactive attachment disorder and disinhibited social engagement disorder than those randomized to care as usual. Analyses within the ever institutionalized group revealed no effects of the age of placement into foster care, but number of caregiving disruptions experienced and the percentage of the child's life spent in institutional care were significant predictors of signs of attachment disorders assessed in early adolescence. These findings indicate that adverse caregiving environments in early life have enduring effects on signs of attachment disorders, and provide further evidence that high-quality caregiving interventions are associated with reductions in both reactive attachment disorder and disinhibited social engagement disorder.

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