ABSTRACT
Attachment affects a child’s well-being across their lifespan. This study aimed to describe internal working models of attachment in immigrant adolescents – an often overlooked population that frequently experiences caregiver separation. Data were collected from a high school for recently immigrated youth. Attachment was assessed using the Child Attachment Interview (CAI; n = 35) and personal experiences of separation from caregivers were assessed using a semi-structured interview (n = 31). Findings indicated 62.1% of respondents experienced the migration of one of their caregivers. Separation from mothers was linked to lower maternal attachment security. Descriptive data supported this result. Despite a small sample size, the current study utilized interview-based methods to provide in-depth characterizations of parental separation and adolescent attachment in an understudied population. Finally, the current study has implications for public policy debates regarding immigrant families, which have recently surged.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful for the youth and families that participated in this research, the research assistants who assisted with the study, and the funding that made this work possible.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, AV. The data are not publicly available due to their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.
Notes
1. Respondent statements were translated from Spanish to English by the first author AV.