ArticleBehavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)2026
Attachment and Relational Dynamics in Residential Care Contexts: Perceptions of Reference Adults and Implications for Resilience.
Article in Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Residential care settings provide not only protection but also therapeutic opportunities for children and adolescents exposed to relational adversity. This study examined attachment-related behaviors, relational dynamics, and perceptions of reference adults in residential care institutions in Portugal. Participants included 33 adolescents aged 12-18 years and 20 adults working in residential care institutions. Adolescents completed the Inventory of Attachment in Childhood and Adolescence, while professionals completed the Observation Checklist and provided qualitative descriptions of adolescents' functioning and intervention strategies. The results revealed a predominance of non-secure attachment profiles, particularly ambivalent attachment, alongside considerable heterogeneity in observed attachment-related behaviors. Avoidant attachment emerged as a significant predictor of increased observational mental health risk, whereas observed secure attachment-related behaviors were negatively associated with psychological vulnerability. Qualitative findings highlighted the importance of emotionally responsive, consistent, and trusting relationships with reference adults, as well as the value of emotional validation, clear boundaries, and attachment-informed caregiving practices. The high heterogeneity of self-reported attachment representations and observational measures underscores the complexity of attachment functioning in trauma-exposed populations and supports the use of multi-method assessment approaches. Overall, the qualitative findings suggest that resilience in residential care is fundamentally relational and may be strengthened through stable, emotionally attuned relationships with caregivers. This study reinforces the importance of attachment-informed and trauma-informed practices in promoting psychological well-being, emotional regulation, and positive developmental trajectories among adolescents living in residential care.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.