Family drawing attachment-based coding system and narrative and behavioral attachment measures in late-adopted and non-adopted children

Introduction. This study compared children attachment patterns, assessed through narratives and observational measures, with an attachment-based coding system for Family Drawings (Fury et al., 1997) and examined the differences between adoptees and non-adoptees within the Italian context. Methods. Sample: 29 late-adopted children (51.7% girls) and their 12 non-adopted peers (50% girls) were recruited. Measures. Attachment patterns were assessed with Separation-Reunion Procedure (SRP) within the first month of children placement, when they were aged 4–8 years, and with Manchester Child Attachment Story Task (MCAST) and Family Drawings (FD) after six months from the first assessment. Results. Our data revealed a significant association between SRP and FD secure/insecure attachment classifications (rphi = .34 p = .034) and a tendency between MCAST and FD secure/insecure attachment patterns (rphi =.30, p = .083). Negative correlations between MCAST Mentalizing and Coherence scales and FD Bizarreness/Dissociation global rating scale (respectively: spearman rho = -.55, p = .001 and spearman rho = -.52, p = .002) and a positive correlation between MCAST Disorganization general score and FD Bizarreness/Dissociation Global rating scale (spearman rho = .39, p = .021) were found. Lastly, data analysis showed that late-adopted children were significantly more insecure (88.9%) than their non-adopted peers (54.5%) assessed by the FD (Fisher’s Exact Test, p = .031). Discussion. Data on the relationship between FD and other attachment measures showed significant correlations and appeared to support FD as a useful tool for classifying attachment representations and therefore to approach to children inner world. FD may capture specific children features that could be difficult to express verbally for them, and it is a valuable measure to assess disorganized attachment representations of children from both clinical and at-risk groups, representing a useful screening for planning early support interventions.