Young Foster Children's Attachment and Socio-emotional Functioning - A Norwegian Prospective and Longitudinal Study

The main aim of the present study was to investigate 60 young foster children's attachment to their foster parents and their socio-emotional functioning at age two and three years compared to 42 low-risk children. At age two, the children were seen in the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP), and a foster parental report was used to investigate socio-emotional functioning. A majority of the foster children was classified as securely attached at both time points, and no significant group difference was detected. Furthermore, among those who were securely attached at age of two, a large majority remained so one year later Concerning social-emotional functioning, the foster children were reported to show more problem behaviour and less competence at age two and three, although their scores were within age-related norms. The results in the present study are optimistic. However, the question is whether such a positive developmental pathway will last when the foster children will meet new challenges such as school entry and establishing close peer relationships.