Research Library

This paper validated the BERRI, a new mental health and psycho-adjustment measure, identifying an eight-factor structure with strong validity and consistency for Children Looked After.

This systematic review and meta-analysis is the first to establish the type and prevalence of mental health disorders and symptoms among children in residential care. The findings provide evidence that the prevalence of mental health disorders and symptoms are particularly high among children in residential care.

This study aimed to investigate the patterns of vulnerability to harm from external risk and risk to self among children living in residential care in England. Archival data collected routinely from residential care staff who complete the online BERRI Questionnaire about children in their care were used. Certain groups of children in residential care are vulnerable to different types of risk.

This discussion, presented at the 2023 International Congress on Mentalization-Based Treatments, highlights the integration of clinical practice and research in the Reflective Fostering Programme through a mentalizing conversation.

Brief review of the neuroscientific findings that illuminate whether and how adverse early caregiving experiences impact on brain development and poor socioemotional outcomes in children in care, and how such evidence informs our understanding of attachment outcomes in this population.

In this paper, we investigated what was the most accurate way of understanding the structure of psychopathology in a Brazilian sample (i.e., 'is psychopathology a unique factor that explains all psychopathological conditions such as anxiety, depression, and antisocial disorders? Or are those conditions actually different categories/problems?').

This trial is the first experimental study of a family therapeutic intervention based on attachment theory for foster families within the Scandinavian context. Authors: Thorup Dalgaard, N., Villumsen, A.M.A., Sørensen, K.M., Midgley, N., Væver, M.S., Almlund M., & Pontoppidan, M. (2023).

The purpose of this study is to describe the development of the 14-item reflective fostering fidelity rating (RFFR), an observational rating system to evaluate model fidelity of group facilitators in the Reflective Fostering Programme (RFP), a mentalisation-based psychoeducation programme to support foster carers. Authors: Midgley, N., Cirasola, A., Sprecher, E.A., Redfern, S., Wright, H., Rider, B. & Martin, P. (2023).

One of the most well-documented sequelae of early maltreatment and institutionalisation is attachment problems, including behaviours under the labels of reactive attachment disorder (RAD) and disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED). Despite growing evidence of the neurobiological effects of institutionalisation, the neural correlates of these behavioural patterns are largely unknown. Authors: Oliveira, P. S., Fearon, P, Belsky, J., Mesquita, A., Sampaio, A., Pinal, D., Soares, I. (2022).