A brief-term attachment-oriented post-adoption intervention and a long-term follow-up: a single case study

Introduction: Families who adopt older-children have to face their damaged attachment patterns due to neglect and abandonment often experienced in their pre-adoption lives. Aims of the study: This single case study aimed at analysing the outcomes of a five-session attachment-oriented intervention with an adoptive dyad performed in the first year after placement, up to a long-term follow-up during child’s adolescence. Material and Methods: This single case involved a four-years internationally adopted child and his adoptive mother. A multi-method assessment of attachment both for the adoptive mother (Adult Attachment Interview, AAI, and Current Relationship Interview, CRI) and her late-adopted son (Separation and Reunion Procedure, SRP, Manchester Child Attachment Story Task, MCAST, and Friend and Family Interview, FFI) was performed in the brief-term clinical intervention and long-term follow-up. The brief-term post-adoption intervention was focused on helping the mother to reflect both on her own past experiences and child’s attachment problems seen as a consequence of the failures of his previous caregivers. Results: The late-adopted child was assessed as avoidant in the SRP at the beginning of treatment and he became secure at the end, when he was also classified as secure in the MCAST, although some mild disorganized indexes emerged. During the post-adoption intervention the adoptive mother was classified as unresolved-free/autonomous in the AAI and secure in the CRI. In the long term follow-up, the adoptee showed a secure attachment model in the FFI and his mother reported a free/autonomous state of mind in the AAI. Conclusions: In agreement with the current literature, we suggest that a brief-term attachment-oriented intervention in the initial post-adoption period can help adoptive mother to reflect on unresolved theme of her past and to enhance her sensitivity regarding the child’s attachment needs, helping to build a new secure attachment bond with him.