(WITHDRAWN) Associations between Dimensions of Adversity and Behavioral Problems Among Youth in Korean Orphanages: The Moderating Role of Attachment Style

Background & Purpose:

Environmental deprivation and trauma associated with orphanage care can have deleterious effects on several domains of children’s psychosocial development. Emerging evidence suggests that loving, secure attachments with peers and caregivers may serve as an important protective factor that mitigates these effects. However, most prior studies in this area have examined associations between cumulative adversity and behavioral health outcomes in this population. This approach assumes that diverse experiences influence child development in the same way, which limits knowledge of the underlying mechanisms that link specific forms of adversities with maladjustment. Recent studies suggest that the application of a dimensional model of adversity that distinguishes between threat- (e.g., physical abuse) and deprivation- (e.g., neglect) related adversities may provide a more refined approach for understanding these developmental mechanisms and informing clear, effective targets for intervention. The current study addresses this gap in research and has two goals: (1) to explore relations between threat and deprivation experiences and behavior problems among South Korean adolescents living in orphanage care and (2) to explore whether and to what extent the associations between exposure to threat- and deprivation-related adversities and behavior problems vary as a function of youths’ attachment style.

Methods:

Data were collected between May 2014 and January 2015 as part of a larger, cross-sectional study of 170 South Korean adolescents living in 10 orphanages. The sample included youth between the ages of 11 and 20 years (M=16.14, SD=1.92; 67.7% male). Adversity exposure, attachment style, and behavior problems were measured using the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index, Attachment Relationship Scale, and Korean Youth Self-Report, respectively.

Using PROCESS for SPSS, we tested four moderation models to examine associations between each dimension of adversity (threat and deprivation) and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, and whether they varied as a function of attachment style. All models adjusted for gender and age.

Results:

Greater exposure to threat adversities was significantly associated with higher levels of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, adjusting for exposure to deprivation; greater exposure to deprivation adversities was not significantly associated with internalizing or externalizing behavior problems when adjusting for exposure to threat. Only one significant interaction effect was found: the association between exposure to threat adversities and externalizing behavior was moderated by attachment style (ΔR² = .02, F(1,161) = 4.75, b = -1.68, t(161) = -2.18, p = .031). Specifically, threat exposure was positively associated with externalizing behavior only among adolescents with an insecure attachment.

Conclusions & Implications:

Results of this study support the utility of the dimensional model of adversity for understanding relations between different forms of adversity and behavioral problems among Korean adolescents in orphanage care. Results also suggest that secure attachment style may be a potential protective factor that helps to buffer relations between threat-related adversities and externalizing behavior in adolescents. Although replication is needed, our findings warrant further exploration and attention from child welfare practitioners and researchers as they have important implications for intervention with youth who have resided in orphanage care.