UN INCONTRO MANCATO TRA MADRE E FIGLIA. IL RISCHIO EVOLUTIVO ASSOCIATO AD ESPERIENZE DI CAREGIVING DISCONTINUO

Abstract

Object: Foster parenting is when a person temporarily serves as a parent for a child who has lost or has been removed from their biological family. Method: A clinical case is presented relating to the fostering history of Stefania, an eight-year-old girl who has been placed in a residential community since the earliest years of her life. Results: The child's history is characterized by a series of life events in which abandonments constituted a risk actor in relation to dysfunctional aspects in several areas of development. A psychodynamic perspective as adopted both to assess Stefania's psychic functioning and psychopathological symptomatology, and to identify the processes of intergenerational transmission of mentalization failure. Conclusions: In this paper we present a re ection about the pervasiveness of the consequences of parental neglect, and o er clinical indications on the care of foster children.