Sprecher, Eva Andrea;
(2023)
Understanding long-term fostering relationships: phenomenological and contemporary attachment theory perspectives.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
In England, over 55,000 children currently live in foster care with many living with their foster carers for several months or years. The relationships young people form with their long-term foster carers are often hypothesised as offering an important opportunity for recovery from early adversity. However, there has been limited empirical research exploring how these fostering relationships are experienced and the usefulness of dominant approaches, such as attachment theory, in understanding and supporting them. This thesis makes use of different lenses to develop current understandings of the nature of fostering relationships. In particular, the perspectives of contemporary attachment theory and phenomenology are used. Firstly, this thesis outlines the historical and socio-political context of long-term fostering in England. Secondly, a critical narrative review of the use of attachment theory to frame understandings and support for fostering relationships is presented. These two reviews provide the context and rationale for four empirical studies. Study 1 uses a phenomenological approach to explore how fostering relationships are experienced by foster carers and care-experienced young people. Study 2 examines the applicability of epistemic trust, a concept from contemporary attachment theory, in the context of long-term fostering relationships using an innovative single case theory-testing methodology. Study 3 and 4 both explore the role of caregiver mentalizing, another contemporary attachment theory concept, in fostering relationships. Study 3 uses a mixed-methods approach to compare the mentalizing of foster carers and birth parents, and to explore putative associations between foster carer mentalizing and carer-child relationship quality. Study 4 makes use of a theory-building case study approach to exploring possible interactions between foster carer mentalizing and child emotional dysregulation. The overall thesis is summarised with consideration of what these studies tell us about long-term fostering relationships and the implications of these findings for social care policy and practice.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Understanding long-term fostering relationships: phenomenological and contemporary attachment theory perspectives |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2023. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| Keywords: | attachment theory, care-experience, caregiving relationships, epistemic trust, foster care, mentalization, phenomenology |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Clinical, Edu and Hlth Psychology |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10170142 |
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