Lived Experiences of Adults Who Were Removed from Primary Caregiver and Placed in Foster Care Before Age Three

The capacity to form attachments early in life with important and primary caregivers can significantly influence a child’s psychological development in numerous areas across the life span. Healthy attachments early in life have been shown to be essential; however, due to various situations, many children have trouble developing healthy attachments or experience disruptions with primary/important caregivers. This transcendental phenomenological study focused specifically on the lived experiences of adults ages 18-64 (born between 1960 and 2004) who were removed from their primary/important caregiver during the first three years (even temporarily) and placed into foster care. In these circumstances, it could be that an attachment to an important caregiver was never formed or there was a disruption in an attachment that was already formed to a primary caregiver. The research method for this study was qualitative, and the research design was phenomenological. This phenomenological approach explored the lived experiences and captured depth and richness in the narratives. The interviews with the participants yielded three major themes for the central research question and the sub-questions, as well as nine sub-themes.