Attachment, Development, and Mental Health in Abused and Neglected Preschool Children in Foster Care: A Meta-Analysis.
A proper preparation for foster parents to care for abused and neglected children includes effective training and initial diagnostics in order to plan individual treatment. Hence, a basic knowledge about the main psychosocial and developmental problems associated with abuse and neglect and their prevalence in foster children is needed. For this purpose, a systematical literature review and a series of meta-analyses were conducted. A total of 25 studies reporting data on development ( n = 4,033), mental health ( n = 726), and attachment ( n = 255) of foster children in preschool age met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analyses indicated prevalence rates of approximately 40% for developmental, mental health problems, and insecure attachment. Rates of disorganized attachment were estimated to 22%. These findings outline the necessity of an initial trauma-oriented diagnostics and trainings for foster parents that address foster children's development, mental health, and disorganized attachment.
1 Center for Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
Mira
M
Vasileva
1 Center for Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
Franz
F
Petermann
D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000073921:Child, Foster / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D019962:Reactive Attachment Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology
attachment; development; foster care; mental health; preschool children