This article examines the experiences of birth children with a foster child (or children) in their family. Specifically, it explores how birth children’s attachment history influences how they discuss their emotional needs and the ways in which attachment strategies help shape the nature of the children’s accounts of their experiences. Eight birth children in fostering families were interviewed. These enquired about the children’s childhood using questions from attachment interviews, and employed integrated ‘sculpts’ to explore their experiences of fostering. An attachment-informed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach found four superordinate themes: preparation and knowledge about fostering; disruptions to family life; altered roles within families; and making and breaking connections. Additionally, the use of defensive processes was detected in how the children managed the experience; they could minimise their needs and feelings in the family. Such defensive processes are likely to influence how children express their experience of having a foster child in the home. The study was limited by its restricted demographic range ‒ mostly white females. The findings can be used to support birth children in families who foster through increasing preparation, matching foster children to families, providing support around the disruptions to family life and supporting children to say goodbye.

中文翻译：

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“爱被传播”：出生的孩子如何谈论他们与寄养孩子一起生活的经历

本文考察了家庭中养育子女（或儿童）的生育经历。具体而言，它探讨了出生儿童的依恋历史如何影响他们讨论情感需求的方式，以及依恋策略如何帮助塑造儿童对其经历的描述的性质。八名寄养家庭的孩子接受了采访。他们通过依恋访谈中的问题询问孩子们的童年，并使用集成的“雕塑”来探索他们的养育经历。依恋信息解释性现象学分析 (IPA) 方法发现了四个上级主题：关于培养的准备和知识；对家庭生活的干扰；改变了家庭中的角色；以及建立和断开联系。此外，在儿童如何管理体验中发现了防御过程的使用；他们可以尽量减少他们在家庭中的需要和感受。这种防御过程可能会影响孩子们如何表达他们在家里养孩子的经历。该研究受限于其有限的人口范围——主要是白人女性。这些发现可用于通过增加准备、将寄养儿童与家庭相匹配、围绕家庭生活中断提供支持以及支持儿童说再见来支持寄养家庭中的出生儿童。该研究受限于其有限的人口范围——主要是白人女性。这些发现可用于通过增加准备、将寄养儿童与家庭相匹配、围绕家庭生活中断提供支持以及支持儿童说再见来支持寄养家庭中的出生儿童。该研究受限于其有限的人口范围——主要是白人女性。这些发现可用于通过增加准备、将寄养儿童与家庭相匹配、围绕家庭生活中断提供支持以及支持儿童说再见来支持寄养家庭中的出生儿童。