A prospective longitudinal study of foster children’s development and attachment to their foster parents: A follow up at 8 years of age

Å plassere barn i fosterhjem er en alvorlig intervensjon overfor barna og deres familier. Som samfunn har vi derfor en forpliktelse til å undersøke hvordan fosterbarn utvikler seg opp igjennom barndommen. Slik kunnskap kan bidra til å avdekke behov for målrettede tiltak tidlig i utviklingsforløpet og slik bidra til å fremme god utvikling og fungering. Den foreliggende studien er en oppfølgingsstudie av fosterbarn ved 8 års alder, og en del av en landsdekkende longitudinell studie om tilknytning og utvikling hos fosterbarn ved 2 og 3 år års alder. Resultater fra den studien viste at majoriteten av fosterbarna var trygt tilknyttet sin primære omsorgsperson i fosterhjemmet og at flesteparten av de trygge barna forble trygge ved 3 års alder. Imidlertid presterte fosterbarna dårligere på kognitive tester, viste mer problematferd og hadde mindre sosio-emosjonell kompetanse enn barna i en sammenligningsgruppe. Skårene lå innenfor de aldersrelaterte normene. 

Placing children in foster care is a serious intervention towards the children and their families. As a society, we therefore have an obligation to investigate how foster children develop through childhood. Such knowledge can help to uncover the need for targeted measures early in the development process and thus contribute to promoting good development and functioning. The present study is a follow-up study of foster children at 8 years of age, and part of a nationwide longitudinal study on attachment and development in foster children at 2 and 3 years of age. Results from that study showed that the majority of foster children were securely attached to their primary carer in the foster home and that most of the secure children remained secure at 3 years of age. However, the foster children performed worse on cognitive tests, showed more problem behavior and had less socio-emotional competence than the children in a comparison group. The scores were within the age-related norms.

In the planned follow-up study, the families who participated at the age of 3 will be tried to be recruited; 56 foster children and 40 low-risk children. Among other things, the children's cognitive development, attachment quality, problem behaviour, social competence and quality of life, in addition to parental stress and the caregivers' experiences in close relationships, will be examined. Longitudinal studies of foster children are relatively absent and it is important to gain knowledge about foster children's development and functioning when the demands from school and circle of friends increase.