Helping Institutionalised Children through a Trusting Relationship—Findings from a One-Year Psychosocial Intervention Programme

Abstract

Children growing up in institutions lack a stable relationship—essential for development. A significant proportion of them have disorganised attachment, which is associated with negative outcomes. Therefore, interventions aimed at improving attachment security are needed. We conducted a case series study (involving five participants aged 8–11 years) in a newly established psychosocial rehabilitation daycare centre to describe the changes in attachment security and mental health of institutionalised children after one year of attendance. The intervention consisted of individualised care focusing on staff building a trusting relationship with participants using the principles of Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI). Measures such as the Child Attachment Interview, SDQ, CBCL6/18, TRF6/18, and clinical interviews were used to follow change. The descriptive data of five participants are presented. All five children improved in mental health, and for two participants, organisation of attachment changed. Three children experienced relational ruptures. The findings suggest that psychosocial interventions that focus on building trusting relationships may be beneficial in institutionalised children. For these children, given their life history, it can be damaging to experience repeated breakdowns. Thus, the practical implication is that any new relationship for them with an adult should be established after an assessment of whether the relationship can be sustained.

Keywords

• attachment
• disorganisation
• institutionalised children
• psychosocial interventions
• Trust-Based Relational Intervention