Abstract
In this chapter, which was updated for the third edition of the Handbook of Attachment in 2018, we discuss young children in foster care, as well as those adopted both nationally and internationally. Although children in these groups experience different challenges, they are all raised by someone other than birth parents for at least part of their lives. The following topics are discussed: experiences prior to placement in foster or adoptive care; factors affecting how children cope with adversity; challenges for children forming attachment to new caregivers; atypical attachments; effects of early adversity on the neuroendocrine system; caregiver commitment; open adoption and contact with the biological family; and interventions to enhance attachment among foster and adopted children. We include a discussion of animal models of separation and neglect, because they richly inform our understanding of the effects of infants' early experience.
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