Adoption, attachment and relationship concerns: a study of adult adoptees

Abstract

Given ongoing controversy regarding the psychosocial adjustment of adoptees, this study examined the impact of adoptive status and family experiences on adult attachment security, and the role of attachment in predicting relationship outcomes. Adults who were adopted as infants (N = 144), and a comparison sample of non-adoptees (N = 131), completed measures of attachment security at recruitment and again six months later; other measures assessed parental bonding and adoptees’ reunion experiences (Time 1), and relationship variables (e.g., loneliness, relationship quality; Time 2). Insecurity was higher for adoptees and for those reporting negative childhood relationships with parents. For adoptees only, recent relationship difficulties also predicted insecurity. Attachment dimensions were more important than adoptive status in predicting relationship variables, and mediated the effects of adoptive status. The results support the utility of attachment theory in understanding adoptees’ relationship concerns.