Openly communicate about adoption: The role of parents' attachment and reflective functioning

Objective: This study explored the relationship between communicative openness (CO) and adoptive parents' attachment styles and reflective functioning. Background: CO involves addressing adoption-related issues within the family. Few studies have examined the connection between parental characteristics and CO. Method: Two hundred seventeen adoptive parents (158 women) completed the Communication About Adoption Within the Family Questionnaire, the Parental Bonding Instrument, the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire, and the Experiences in Close Relationships—Revised. Path model analyses were conducted. Results: Parents' avoidant attachment (β = −.19, p =.008), maternal overprotection (β = −.19, p =.031), and prementalizing modes (β = −.41, p =.002; β = −.37, p =.001; β = −.45, p <.001, respectively) were linked to lower, less emotionally attuned, and unsatisfying CO. In turn, paternal overprotection (β =.21, p =.008) and certainty about the children's mental states (β =.20, p =.012; β =.33, p <.001; β =.26, p =.010, respectively) were related to more frequent, emotionally attuned, and satisfying CO. Conclusion: These findings highlight the role of parents' attachment styles and reflective functioning in shaping CO. Implications: Health care professionals should consider parents' attachment styles and reflective capacities to support CO in adoptive families.

Duke Scholars

Author Laura Gorla