The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to describe attachment behavior in international adoptees at six months postadoption, as well as the child and maternal factors affecting that behavior. Child factors included age at adoption, developmental status, history of care (length of care, number of preadoption placements, and quality of care), and stress level (basal salivary cortisol). The maternal factor assessed was the mother's attachment representations.

The convenience sample consisted of 22 adoptive mother-infant dyads from the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Assessment instruments included the Attachment Q-Set, Ages and Stages Questionnaire, History of Care Questionnaire, cortisol analysis, and the Adult Attachment Projective. The major descriptive findings were that 86% of the children were rated secure, with high and low secure groups differing primarily in attachment behavior that involved seeking physical contact with the mother. The factors affecting attachment behavior were analyzed through simultaneous multiple regression. Age at adoption, developmental status, length and quality of preadoption care, and maternal attachment representations were not significant predictors of child attachment status. The number of preadoption placements and the child's stress level did significantly predict attachment status, accounting for approximately 40% of the variance in attachment security. Number of preadoption placements uniquely contributed 14% of that variance (p=.007) while stress level uniquely contributed 12% (p=.01). Children who had fewer preadoption placements had higher attachment security. Similarly, children who had lower stress levels had higher attachment security. Results suggest that consistency of preadoption care was more important than its length or quality. Further, the relationship between stress level and attachment security raises the possibility that a lower stress level functions as a protective factor for the developing attachment with the adoptive mother.