Department of Psychology, 467752University of Québec at Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada.
University Centre for Research on Youth and Families School of Psychology, 4440Laval University, Quebec, QC, Canada.
Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2022 Apr;27(2):466-479. doi: 10.1177/13591045211049295. Epub 2021 Oct 10.
Externalizing behavior problems are a salient issue in the context of child protection services, where associations with placement stability and caregiving behavior have been documented. Moreover, although research on the association between contact with biological parents and foster child externalizing behavior problems is scarce and has yielded mixed results, several studies have shown links between the two variables. The purpose of this study is to determine the association of face-to-face contact with biological parents and externalized behaviors, while taking into account placement instability and foster parent interactive sensitivity. Fifty preschoolers and their foster parents were visited at home. Child externalizing behavior problems were self-reported by foster parents, foster parent sensitivity was measured via play observations, and information relative to placement was collected through interviews with biological parents and gathered from social services data. Results reveal that more frequent contact with biological parents and lower levels of foster parent sensitivity are independently linked to greater levels of externalizing behavior problems even after controlling for placement instability. Discussion focuses on the importance of children's relationship experiences during foster care and the necessity to investigate their role to more clearly understand foster child socioemotional development.
外化行为问题是儿童保护服务中的一个突出问题，已有研究记录了其与安置稳定性和养育行为之间的关联。此外，尽管关于与亲生父母接触和寄养儿童外化行为问题之间关联的研究很少，且结果不一，但已有几项研究表明这两个变量之间存在联系。本研究旨在确定与亲生父母的面对面接触与外化行为之间的关联，同时考虑到安置的不稳定性和寄养父母的互动敏感性。研究人员对 50 名学龄前儿童及其寄养父母进行了家访。寄养父母通过游戏观察来评估寄养父母的敏感性，通过与亲生父母的访谈和从社会服务数据中收集来获取与安置相关的信息。研究结果表明，即使在控制安置不稳定的情况下，与亲生父母更频繁的接触和较低水平的寄养父母敏感性也与更高水平的外化行为问题独立相关。讨论重点关注了寄养期间儿童关系体验的重要性，以及有必要调查其作用，以更清楚地了解寄养儿童的社会情感发展。
