The Relationship of Adult Attachment with Age at Adoption, Time in Institutional Care, Family Functioning and Differentiation of Self in a Sample of Adults Adopted in Spain

The long-term impact of adoption on adult attachment is shaped by a complex interplay between early adversity and later relational and regulatory experiences. This study examined associations between adult romantic attachment (anxiety and avoidance) and age at adoption, time spent in institutional care, adoptive family functioning, and differentiation of self in a sample of 50 adults adopted in Spain (domestic and international adoptions). Participants completed a sociodemographic and adoption process questionnaire, the Experiences in Close Relationships-Spanish questionnaire, the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale-20Esp, and the Differentiation of Self Scale. Older age at adoption was moderately associated with higher attachment avoidance, whereas time spent in institutional care was not significantly related to attachment. Better adoptive family functioning, particularly greater cohesion, was moderately associated with lower attachment anxiety. Differentiation of self showed the strongest associations with attachment: emotional reactivity was linked to higher anxiety and emotional cutoff to higher avoidance. Findings are discussed from a developmental attachment perspective, highlighting the long-term relational impact of early adversity and postadoptive relational and regulatory processes.