Attachment relationships and learned resourcefulness levels of institutionalized adolescents

Abstract

Attachment as a very important regulator of both emotions and the self and learned resourcefulness (LR) as a both cognitive and emotional-regulation strategy seems very interrelated. It is thought that, more secure attachment relationships lay the foundations of high capability of learned resourcefulness. This cross-sectional survey study aims to investigate the relationship between LR and attachment relations among adolescents according to whether they reside in care or with their families. To this end, data was collected from 61 adolescents with convenience sampling method, including 31 living with their families from Istanbul's Huseyin Avni Sozen High School and 30 residing at foster care institutions. The total number of participants in this study came to 61, with an average age of 17. The Adult Attachment Scale (AAS), Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA)-Short Form and Rosenbaum's Learned Resourcefulness Scale (RLRS) were used for data collection. It was found that institutionalized adolescents (IA) had a higher sense of insecurity in their attachment relationships than adolescents who stayed with their families (ASF). In addition, while there was a significant relationship between learned resourcefulness and attachment styles, those living with their families had higher scores on a number of RLRS sub-dimensions than those who stayed in institutions (p<.05). Discussion: The study findings already present in current literature on the issue were discussed and interpretations drawn, and it was deemed that institutional factors were important in terms of attachment relations and learned resourcefulness in adolescents living in care homes.