Attachment models in late-adopted Children and their adopted mothers: A Clinical example

Attachment Theory highlighted the role of secure adoptive mothers in affecting the revision of late-adopted children’s Internal Working Models respect to attachment (Steele, Hodges, Kaniuk, Hillman, Henderson, 2003; Pace, Zavattini, D'Alessio, 2012). Starting from a theoretical discussion on the importance of the quality of parenting, caregiving and reflective capacities of adoptive mothers, a discussion of a case of a child adopted at the age of six years was presented. The mother and her child were seen two times after six months of each other. During the first observation, at the time of adoption, the Separation-Reunion Procedure was administered to the child and the Adult Attachment Interview and Reflective Function Scale were administered to her mother. At the second step, the Separation-Reunion Procedure and the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task were administered to the child. We highlighted that the relationship with a “secure” mother, with a good reflective functioning, and her adopted child can be a facilitating factor for the transformation of child’s attachment patterns, both behavioral and representational.