Understanding Responses to Foster Care: Theoretical Approaches

Abstract

Foster children making the transition from birth to foster homes or from foster homes to foster homes often present problematic behaviors. Limitations of attachment theory and reactive attachment disorder are presented, and three alternative approaches for understanding behaviors exhibited in foster settings are presented: conservation of resources, child alienation model, and developmental trauma disorder.

KEYWORDS:

• Foster care
• conservation of resources
• developmental trauma disorder
• alienation