Attachment in a Group of Adult International Adoptees

ABSTRACT

The present study examines whether foreign adoptees differ from normative samples in adult attachment status, and explores within-group differences associated with (in)secure attachment status in adult adoptees. Forty adoptees, from a previous representative study of foreign adoptees in Sweden, were interviewed with the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). In addition, they were questioned about issues related to identity and family history, and self-assessment instruments were used to assess self-esteem and mental health. Compared to norm groups, the adoptees did not differ significantly in attachment status. However, insecure attachment organization on the AAI was associated with late adoption and a desire to know more about one's biological roots. Late adoption, memories from the time before the adoption, divorce, lack of contact in the adoptive family with the child's origin, and a tendency in adoptees not to think about their biological background, were all associated with unresolved/disorganized status with respect to loss or abuse. There was a nonsignificant tendency for secure attachment status to be associated with higher mental health and self-esteem than insecure attachment status.

Key Words:

• Adoptees
• adoptive families
• identity
• attachment