Attachment Dimensions and Relational Trauma in the Prediction of Emotional and Social Adjustment Among Adolescents in Residential Care

Background: Foster adolescents face elevated socioemotional risk, yet the joint and differential contributions of family adversity, attachment insecurity, and relational trauma to distinct adjustment domains remain poorly understood. The present study aimed to examine their joint, incremental, and differential contribution to emotional regulation difficulties and social competence. Methods: Forty-six adolescents (12–17 years; 63% female) in residential care in Uruguay completed self-report measures of family problems, attachment dimensions (anxiety, avoidance, socioemotional functioning), and relational trauma (SENA, CAA-R, CaMir-R). Hierarchical multiple regression examined their sequential prediction of emotional regulation difficulties and social competence. Results: Emotional regulation difficulties were explained by family problems, avoidant attachment, and relational trauma, whereas social competence was explained by anxious attachment and socioemotional attachment functioning. Final models explained 49% and 47% of variance, respectively. Discussion: This differential predictive pattern aligns with theoretical distinctions between deactivating and hyperactivating attachment strategies. Relational trauma’s specific contribution to regulatory, but not social, functioning supports neurobiologically grounded models of complex trauma. Conclusions: Findings suggest that emotional regulation difficulties were more closely associated with family problems, avoidant attachment, and relational trauma, whereas social competence was more strongly linked to anxious attachment and socioemotional attachment functioning. These results support differentiated, attachment-informed, and trauma-sensitive approaches in residential care settings.