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Background <p>The absence of significant primary caregivers in institutionalized children’s lives increases their vulnerability, particularly elevating the risk of insecure attachment. Research exploring their attachment representations through representational measures in India remains limited, with concerns about standardization, validation, cultural and contextual relevance.</p> Objective <p>This study aimed to develop a culturally appropriate attachment storytelling task suited to institutional settings and explore attachment representations among institutionalized preschool children in India through play narratives.</p> Methods <p>Twenty institutionalized children (9 males and 11 females) aged 3–6 years were purposefully selected from three childcare institutions. The attachment storytelling task comprised eight enactments and utilized the story stem technique through doll play. The children were evaluated based on their ability to understand key attachment issues elicited by the stories and develop story resolutions. Their verbal, behavioral, and emotional responses were videotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using content analysis.</p> Findings <p>Findings indicated that 65% of children displayed insecure attachment patterns, often struggling with comprehension and resolution of attachment-related themes, leading to brief and incoherent narratives despite being given structured prompts. Content analysis of the narratives identified prominent themes, including reliance on caregivers and peers, variations in emotion regulation, and diverse coping strategies.</p> Conclusion <p>The study highlights the significant challenges institutionalized preschoolers face in processing attachment narratives, providing insights regarding the applicability of representational measures within the institutional context. The study underscores the role of cultural and contextual factors in shaping attachment representations in non-familial caregiving settings and calls for further exploration of peer attachment dynamics in institutional care.</p>

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Exploring Attachment Representations Among Institutionalized Preschool Children in India: A Play-Based Narrative Approach

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年5月16日

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  • Manaswini Mishra,
  • Rooplekha Khuntia

摘要

Background

The absence of significant primary caregivers in institutionalized children’s lives increases their vulnerability, particularly elevating the risk of insecure attachment. Research exploring their attachment representations through representational measures in India remains limited, with concerns about standardization, validation, cultural and contextual relevance.

Objective

This study aimed to develop a culturally appropriate attachment storytelling task suited to institutional settings and explore attachment representations among institutionalized preschool children in India through play narratives.

Methods

Twenty institutionalized children (9 males and 11 females) aged 3–6 years were purposefully selected from three childcare institutions. The attachment storytelling task comprised eight enactments and utilized the story stem technique through doll play. The children were evaluated based on their ability to understand key attachment issues elicited by the stories and develop story resolutions. Their verbal, behavioral, and emotional responses were videotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using content analysis.

Findings

Findings indicated that 65% of children displayed insecure attachment patterns, often struggling with comprehension and resolution of attachment-related themes, leading to brief and incoherent narratives despite being given structured prompts. Content analysis of the narratives identified prominent themes, including reliance on caregivers and peers, variations in emotion regulation, and diverse coping strategies.

Conclusion

The study highlights the significant challenges institutionalized preschoolers face in processing attachment narratives, providing insights regarding the applicability of representational measures within the institutional context. The study underscores the role of cultural and contextual factors in shaping attachment representations in non-familial caregiving settings and calls for further exploration of peer attachment dynamics in institutional care.