Quality of relationship with caregivers, emotional regulation, and psychological adjustment in adolescents from residential care

Abstract

Transition to residential care can be accompanied by feelings of loss, abandonment and loneliness. In this context adolescents are more vulnerable to the development of different psychological maladjustment problems. However, recently, empirical studies have highlighted the importance of protective factors, namely the enhancement of the quality of the personal and emotional resources provided by the caregivers in the residential care setting. Secure base provided by caregivers is expected to be related with fewer high-risk behaviours, mental disorders and more adaptive emotional regulation in adolescents. The current study intends to analyze the role of the quality of relationship with caregivers and emotional regulation on the mental health of adolescents living in residential care, adding on previous research by assessing adolescents’ and the caregivers’ perspective of the relationship. The sample is composed by 250 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years, and 220 caregivers, from 21 different institutions. Adolescents will respond to questionnaires about quality of relationship with caregivers, emotional regulation, and emotional and behavioral problems; the caregivers will respond to a questionnaire on the relationship with adolescents. Data will be analyzed using hierarchical linear modelling (HLM), and findings will be discussed according to attachment theory and the specificities of the population studied.