Anna's story: a qualitative analysis of an at-risk mother's experience in an attachment-based foster care program.
This study chronicles an at-risk mother's experience in an alternative foster care program. Influenced by attachment theory, the Children's Ark reunited children with their mothers in a supervised home environment while also providing residential support, intensive therapy, and education. After losing custody of her infant Kindra, 18-year-old Anna participated in the Ark for 2 years, after which she regained custody of Kindra. We assessed Anna and Kindra at multiple times using a variety of instruments, including a semi-structured interview, the Adult Attachment Interview, and the Strange Situation procedure. Anna moved from a profoundly insecure state of mind to a secure one, while Kindra moved from a resistant to a secure attachment. Qualitative analyses of Anna's interviews documented growth in her capacity to use the important relationships at the Ark as secure bases and to welcome rather than fear intimacy with Kindra. The qualitative analyses also described growth in Anna's capacities for reflective functioning and positive changes in her internal working model. We conclude with an analysis of the process of change from the perspective of attachment theory.
Department of Psychology, Gonzaga University, 502 E Boone, Spokane, WA 99258-0054, USA. kretchmar@gonzaga.edu
Molly D
MD
Kretchmar
Nancy L
NL
Worsham
Natalia
N
Swenson
D000328:Adult; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D012944:Social Support