Attachment Styles in Institutionalized Youth: A Systematic Review of Trends of the Past Decade

Although most children worldwide are raised within family networks, a substantial minority grow up in alternative care settings. UNICEF’s 2024 estimates suggest that approximately 100 per 100,000 children currently reside in institutional care globally (UNICEF, 2024). These placements often occur when families are unable to meet children’s basic caregiving needs, exposing children to a dual form of neglect: first within their family of origin, and subsequently through systemic limitations embedded in institutional care. Such environments, structured around collective routines, rotating staff, and limited individualized attention, differ fundamentally from family-based caregiving and therefore pose distinct developmental risks. Research consistently shows that institutional rearing can affect cognitive, physical, social–emotional, and behavioral development, with many children experiencing long-term consequences that persist into adolescence and adulthood. This thesis investigates these developmental processes through an integrated historical, theoretical, and neurobiological analysis, culminating in a systematic review of empirical studies published between 2016 and 2025. The review demonstrates a striking consistency across diverse cultural contexts: institutionalization is strongly associated with elevated rates of insecure and disorganized attachment, as well as atypical socioemotional strategies shaped by chronic relational unpredictability. By synthesizing this evidence, the thesis highlights the structural features of institutional care that undermine attachment formation and underscores the urgent need for developmentally informed reforms and interventions.