Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2020 Adult Attachment Functioning of Former Foster Youth Initially Placed in Early Adolescence Adrienne Miller Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, and the Social Work Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Adrienne Marie Miller has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Rebecca Stout, Committee Chairperson, Human and Social Services Faculty Dr. Sarah Matthey, Committee Member, Human and Social Services Faculty Dr. Scott Hershberger, University Reviewer, Human and Social Services Faculty Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D. Walden University 2020 Abstract Adult Attachment Functioning of Former Foster Youth Initially Placed in Early Adolescence by Adrienne Marie Miller MA, Purdue University Global, 2014 BS, Wayland Baptist University, 2006 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Human and Social Services Walden University November 2020 Abstract Child attachment has been an area of study among scholars for several decades; however, early adolescent attachment is a specific age period that few scholars have examined, especially pertaining to child welfare where placement is a necessary but forced attachment disruption. The purpose of this nonexperimental study was to examine the likelihood of early adolescent attachment during initial placement and to explore the frequencies of this population securely attaching postplacement based on the added variables of placement setting (foster home/kinship home/group home/institution) and sibling accessibility. Attachment theory was the lens through which to analyze the 83 results received via anonymous online national survey from young adults ages 18- to 24- years-old who had previously been in foster care. The survey responses were analyzed using chi-square/crosstabulation. The results of these analyses showed that early adolescents were almost half as likely to be securely attached postplacement compared to others outside of the early adolescent age range and must have both placement in a family-like setting that has been trained in early adolescent attachment/development and have been placed with their siblings to have the highest likelihood of secure attachment. Because a large number of the children entering foster care each year are early adolescents, positive social change would occur by using the results of this study to change child welfare practices during initial placement of youth in this age group and regarding foster/kinship home training to increase the number of these youth becoming securely attached adults. Adult Attachment Functioning of Former Foster Youth Initially Placed in Early Adolescence by Adrienne Marie Miller MA, Purdue University Global, 2014 BS, Wayland Baptist University, 2006 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Human and Social Services Walden University November 2020 Dedication This dissertation study is dedicated to all early adolescents, but especially those in placement. I have both affectionately and with great despair during this process termed the young adolescents in placement “the lost ones” due to the lack of research information on them and the incredible need for it. It is my greatest hope that this one small pebble in the pond will create ripples of conversation that will start a larger movement and these amazing young individuals will get the attention from the people in charge that they deserve. My very first supervisor in the world of child advocacy, Sabrina “Kehau” Golis, told me to always remember advocacy means to give voice/speak for those who can’t (in this case, minor children who have no say in being removed from their home, where they will live next, if they will live with their sibling, or get the help they need) and to make sure you are speaking with their voice, not your own. It is with this in mind that I dedicate this dissertation to those who are not only unable to speak for themselves, but whose unique attachment needs have been largely overlooked by the research community and the child welfare field. Acknowledgments I want to send my sincerest thanks and love to my husband Steve Miller for his never-ending patience these past years. He has been my cheerleader, shoulder to cry on, butt-kicker, flashlight on my path, and both father and mother to my children during times when my schooling had to come first. I also want to thank my children, Molly and Caleb for their understanding and patiently waiting on the sidelines at times for me to finish “one more thing” for school. I want to thank my chair, Dr. Rebecca Stout, who has talked me down from the figurative ledge, listened to me cry, given me encouragement and praise all along this process, and has made this journey far more enjoyable than I imagined it could be. I couldn’t have done this without her. I also want to thank Dr. Sarah Matthey, for her positive spin on corrections and for making APA far less intimidating than I had imagined. My entire dissertation team has been amazing and I wouldn’t have wanted to go through this gauntlet with any other combination of people. They held my feet the fire and pushed me to get the best out of me. Many thanks go out to the brave souls who took the survey for this study as well. I also want to thank the people in the background that no one knows about. The friends, family, and coworkers over the years who haven’t known exactly what I was doing, but kept telling me to “hang in there” or “you can do it.” Those little tidbits kept me going. Lastly, I want to thank my Heavenly Father for giving me His strength when I needed it and my dad who is by His side in Heaven and has been watching over me the entire time. Table of Contents List of Tables .......................................................................................................................v List of Figures .................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ....................................................................................1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Background ....................................................................................................................3 Problem Statement .........................................................................................................4 Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................................5 Research Questions and Hypotheses .............................................................................5 Theoretical Framework for the Study ............................................................................6 Nature of the Study ........................................................................................................8 Definitions......................................................................................................................9 Assumptions .................................................................................................................10 Scope and Delimitations ..............................................................................................11 Limitations ...................................................................................................................12 Significance..................................................................................................................12 Summary ......................................................................................................................13 Chapter 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................14 Introduction ..................................................................................................................14 Literature Search Strategy............................................................................................15 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................17 Concept/Phenomenon ........................................................................................... 17 i Attachment Theory ............................................................................................... 18 Current Gap in Literature ...................................................................................... 32 Literature Review of Key Variables ............................................................................36 Adult Attachment Functioning ............................................................................