Click here to download

The effort to built relationships: attachment and emotional representations in an adoptive family
Journal Title: MALTRATTAMENTO E ABUSO ALL’INFANZIA 
Author/s: Donatella Cavanna, Patrizia Velotti, Daniela Danovaro, Francesca Magini 
Year:  2013 Issue: 3 Language: Italian 
Pages:  22 Pg. 13-34 FullText PDF:  687 KB
DOI:  10.3280/MAL2013-003002
(DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation:  clicca qui   and here 


This paper proposes a discussion on the possible outcomes of the adoption, considering the pre-adoptive history of a child and the quality of parenting. The discussion of a single case through the qualitative analysis of the tools used to assess state of mind with respect to attachment relationships became an opportunity for a debate about the "special needs" that often characterize adopted children. Also, the encounter of these special needs with those of the new parental couple and their own specific educational tasks.
Keywords: Attachment, adoption, parenting, emotional representations.

  1. Allen, G. J., Fonagy, P., & Bateman, A. W. (2008). Mentalizing in clinical practice. Trad. it. (2010), La mentalizzazione nella pratica clinica. Milano: Raffaello Cortina.
  2. Baumeister, R. F., Zell, A. L., & Tice, D. M. (2007). How emotions facilitate and impair self-regulation. In J. J. Gross (Ed.), Handbook of emotion regulation (pp. 408-426). New York: Guilford Press.
  3. Beijersbergen, M. D., Juffer, F., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & van IJzeendorn M. (2012). Remaining or becoming secure: Parental sensitive support predicts attachment continuity from infancy to adolescence in a longitudinal adoption study. Developmental Psychology, 48, 5, 1277-1282,, DOI: 10.1037/a0027442
  4. Bion, W. R. (1962). Apprendere dall’esperienza. Trad. It. (1972). Roma: Armando.
  5. Bion, W. R. (1963). Gli elementi della psicoanalisi. Trad. it. (1979). Roma: Armando.
  6. Bowlby (1969). Attaccamento e perdita. Attaccamento alla madre. Trad. it. (1972). Torino: Bollati Boringhieri.
  7. Camisasca, E. (2007). Riflessività e mind-mindedness materne nello sviluppo della sicurezza nell’attaccamento e della teoria della mente. Età Evolutiva, 86, 5-15.
  8. Cancrini, L. (2002). Un tempo per il dolore. Torino: Bollati Boringhieri.
  9. Caspers, K., Yucuis, R., Troutman B., Arndt, S., & Langbehn, D. (2007). A sibling adoption study of adult attachment: The influence of shared environment on attachment states of mind. Attachment & Human Development, 9, 4, 375-391,, DOI: 10.1080/14616730701711581
  10. Cavanna, D., & Rosso, A. M. (2009). Genitori “good enough”: modelli di attaccamento e adjustment in un campione di coppie adottive. Psicologia clinica dello sviluppo, XIII, 3, 461-483,, DOI: 10.1449/30783
  11. Clarke, A., & Clarke, A. (2000). Early experience and the life path. London: Jessica Kingsley.
  12. Cudmore, L. (2006). Pensare alla coppia nel contesto dell’adozione. Rassegna di Psicologia, XXIII, 2, 9-29.
  13. Crowell, J. A., & Owens, G. (1996). Current Relationship Interview and scoring system. Manoscritto non pubblicato. State University of New York at Stony Brook.
  14. De Bono, I. (2006). Dal trauma all’esperienza adottiva. Disponibile online: www.genitorisidiventa.org.
  15. Dozier, M., & Sepulveda, S. (2004). Bridging the gap: The role of mother’s state of mind. Infant Mental Health Journal, 25, 368-378,, DOI: 10.1002/imhj.20011
  16. Fonagy, P., Target, M., Steele, M., & Steele, H. (1998). Reflective-Functioning Manual, Version 5. London: University College London.
  17. Fonagy, P., & Target, M. (2001). Attaccamento e funzione riflessiva. Milano: Cortina.
  18. Fonagy, P., Gergely, G., Jurist, E. L., & Target, M. (2002). Regolazione affettiva, mentalizzazione e sviluppo del Sé. Trad. it. (2005). Milano: Cortina.
  19. Galli, J., & Viero, F. (2001). Fallimenti adottivi. Roma: Armando Editore.
  20. George, C., Kaplan. N., & Main, M. (1985). Adult Attachment Interview. Manoscritto non pubblicato. Berkeley, CA: University of California, Department of Psychology.
  21. Gigli, F., & Velotti, P. (2009). “Meine Tochter ist nicht für diese Welt geschaffen”. Die Komplexität bei der Wahl einer Psychotherapie für Eltern. Kinderanalyse, 3, 234-247.
  22. Howe, D. (2002). Adopted children’s behaviour and development in childhood and adolescence. Norwich: School of Social Work and Psychosocial Studies.
  23. Hodges, J., Steele, M., Hillman, S., Henderson, K., & Kaniuk, J. (2003). Changes in attachment representations over the first year of adoptive placement: narratives of maltreated children. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 8, 3, 351-367,, DOI: 10.1177/1359104503008003006
  24. Hodges, J., Steele, M., Hillman, S., Henderson, K., & Kaniuk, J. (2005). Change and continuity in mental representations of attachment after adoption. In D. Brodzinsky & J. Palacios (Eds.), Psychological issues in adoption: Research and practice (pp. 93-116). Praeger: Greenwood publishing group.
  25. Lieberman, A. F., & Van Horn, P. (2005). Bambini e violenza in famiglia. Trad. it. (2007). Bologna: il Mulino.
  26. Main, M., & Hesse, E. (1990). Parents’ unresolved traumatic experiences are related to infant disorganized attachment status: Is frightened and/or frightening parental behavior the linking mechanism? In M. Greenberg, D. Cicchetti & M. Cummings (Eds.), Attachment in the preschool years: Theory, research, and intervention. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  27. Meins, E., Fernyhough, C., Fradley, E., & Tuckey, M. (2001). Rethinking maternal sensitivity: Mother’s comments on infants’ mental processes predict security of attachment at 12 months. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42, 637-648,, DOI: 10.1111/1469-7610.00759
  28. Mikulincer, M., Shaver, P. R., Sapir-Lavid, Y., & Avihou-Kanza, N. (2009). What’s inside the minds of securely and insecurely attached people? The sicure-base script and its associations with attachment-style dimensions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97, 615-633,, DOI: 10.1037/a0015649
  29. Muntean, A., Tomita, M., & Stan, V. (2012). Complex trauma of abandoned children and adoption as a healing process. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 273-276.
  30. O’Connor, T. G., Marvin, R. S., Rutter, M., Olrick, J. T, & Britner, P. A. (2003). Child-parent attachment following early institutional deprivation. Development and Psychopathology, 15, 19-38,, DOI: 10.1017/S0954579403000026
  31. Pianta, R., O’Connor, T. G., Morog, M., Button, S., Dimmock J., & Marvin R. (1995). Parent Development Interview and Scoring Manual. Manoscritto non pubblicato. University of Virginia.
  32. Salerno, A., & Ajovalasit, D. (2006). Legittimità psicologica nel processo adottivo. Una ricerca qualitativa su un gruppo di genitori. In A. M. Di Vita & M. Garro (Eds.), Il fascino discreto della famiglia. Milano: FrancoAngeli.
  33. Shmueli-Goetz, Y., Target, M., Fonagy, P., & Datta, A. (2008). The Child Attachment Interview. A psychometric study of reliability and discriminant validity. Developmental Psychology, 44, 4, 939-956,, DOI: 10.1037/0012-1649.44.4.939
  34. Slade, A. (2010). Relazione genitoriale e funzione riflessiva. Teoria, clinica e intervento sociale. In C. Zaccagnini & G. C. Zavattini (Eds.), Relazione genitoriale e funzione riflessiva. Teoria clinica e intervento sociale. Roma: Astrolabio.
  35. Solomon, J., & George, C. (1999). L’attaccamento disorganizzato. Trad. it. (2007). Bologna: il Mulino.
  36. Stams, J., Juffer, F., & van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2002). Maternal sensitivity, infant attachment, and temperament in early chilhood predict adjustment in middle childhood: the case of adopted children and their biologically unrelated parents. Developmental Psychology, 38, 5, 806-821,, DOI: 10.1037/0012-1649.38.5.806
  37. Steele, M., Hodges, J., Kaniuk, J., Steele, H., Hillman, S., & Asquith, K. (2008). Forecasting outcomes in previously maltreated children. The use of the AAI in a longitudinal adoption study. In H. Steele & M. Steele (Eds.), A clinical application of the Adult Attachment Interview (pp. 427-452). New York: Guilford Press.
  38. Steele, M., Hodges, J., Kaniuk, J., Hillman, S., & Henderson, K. (2003). Rappresentazioni dell’attaccamento e adozione: associazioni tra lo stato mentale materno e le narrazioni delle emozioni in bambini con una storia di maltrattamento. Infanzia e adolescenza, 2, 3, 110-124.
  39. Steinberg, D., & Pianta, R. (2006). Maternal representations of relationships. In O. Mayseless (Ed.), Parenting representations. New York: Cambridge University Press.
  40. van den Dries, L., Juffer, F., van IJzendoorn, M. H., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J. & Alink R. A. (2012). Infant’s responsiveness, attachment, and indiscriminate friendliness after international adoption from institutions or foster care in China: Application of Emotional Availability Scales to adoptive families. Development and Psychopatology, 24, 49-64,, DOI: 10.1017/S0954579411000654
  41. van den Dries, L., Juffer, F., van IJzendoorn, M. H., & Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J. (2009). Fostering security? A meta-analysis of attachment in adopted children. Children and Youth Services Review, 31, 410-421,, DOI: 10.1016/j
  42. van IJzendoorn, M. H., & Juffer, F. (2006). The Emmanuel Miller Memorial Lecture 2006: Adoption as intervention. Meta-analytic evidence for massive catch-up and plasticity in physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development. Journal of Psychology and Psychiatry, 47, 12, 1228-1245,, DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01675.x
  43. Velotti, P., Garofalo, C., & Zavattini, G. C. (2013). Lo studio della regolazione delle emozioni: prospettive future. Giornale Italiano di Psicologia, 2, 247-262.
  44. Winnicott, D.W. (1996). Bambini. Trad. it. (1997). Milano: Cortina.

Donatella Cavanna, Patrizia Velotti, Daniela Danovaro, Francesca Magini, The effort to built relationships: attachment and emotional representations in an adoptive family in "MALTRATTAMENTO E ABUSO ALL’INFANZIA" 3/2013, pp. 13-34, DOI:10.3280/MAL2013-003002

   

FrancoAngeli is a member of Publishers International Linking Association a not for profit orgasnization wich runs the CrossRef service, enabing links to and from online scholarly content