Analysis: there are countless people across Ireland living with the after-effects of what happened in these notorious institutions

By Natasha Dalton, Ulster University

Attachment is commonly thought of as an emotional bond between two people, but it is much more than that. We are biologically driven to attach to caregivers who can protect us and meet our needs at a time when we are most vulnerable.

As we grow from infancy to childhood, we develop an understanding of how likely our caregivers are to provide us with appropriate care and what we can expect from them. This in turn, shapes how we behave towards them, how we think and feel in relationships and how we reflect on attachment-related experiences and memories.

By the time we reach adulthood, attachments to caregivers and experiences gained in relationships begin to integrate into what is called a 'state of mind' with respect to attachment. Previous research has shown that having a secure attachment state of mind protects against mental and physical ill-health. Parental attachment state of mind is consistently linked to their children’s attachment behaviour, meaning there is an intergenerational risk of insecure attachment.

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From RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland in November 2021, survivors of the mother-and-baby homes give their reaction to the redress scheme announced by the Government

The attachment state of mind is vulnerable to trauma and is shaped by our experiences in relationships. We know from research in children that living in an institutionalised setting significantly impacts the attachment state of mind, but it is unknown how attachment is affected in the unique context of mother-and-baby homes

Mother-and-baby homes were institutions, often run by religious organisations, developed to provide accommodation for unmarried mothers. In the Republic of Ireland, at least 56,000 women entered these institutions and a further 25,000 likely lived within private institutions. That number is thought to be at least 10,500 in Northern Ireland. Many homes gained notoriety because of the maltreatment of the women and children who lived within them.

These homes were atypical from an adoption and fostering point of view, as this practice wasn’t necessary. The homes were not set up to remove children from maltreatment or neglectful homes; the children born into or lived within them already had caregivers. Women were committed to homes, and children were removed from their care only because they did not conform to what was deemed socially acceptable at the time.

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From RTÉ Six One News, a Northern Ireland expert panel recommends an independent public inquiry into NI mother-and-baby homes

Although the last one on the island of Ireland closed in 1998, there are likely countless people across Ireland who live with the after-effects of this practice. Our study explored the impact of early life in a mother-and-baby home on participants’ attachment state of mind. We also wanted to understand the experiences of our participants.

Results showed that every participant in our study had an insecure attachment state of mind and most had experienced a loss so profound that it impacted day-to-day functioning. Participants spoke of identity issues. All described themselves as never fitting in or feeling different from peers or their adoptive family.

Most participants talked about trauma, including descriptions of abuse perpetrated by adoptive parents. All participants who mentioned trauma expressed the great lengths they had gone to reconcile and understand it.

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From RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland, evidence of 550 Mother and Baby Home survivors was discounted

When reflecting on their childhoods, all participants conveyed an idea we called "silence coping". This described how every participant reported self-reliance when hurt or upset in childhood. Participants recalled suppressing emotions, and it became clear that they did not feel that they could turn to their adoptive parents to help or alleviate their distress and learned to cope by themselves.

A final theme was adverse parenting. Most participants spoke of harsh parenting, such as being severely chastised or childhood interests being degraded or ignored. In addition, participants described how this type of parenting left an impression on how they navigate current relationships.

Our findings provide an insight into the attachment state of mind and experiences of those who were adopted from mother-and-baby homes. Having an insecure state of mind means our participants may be more susceptible to poor mental and physical health.

Interviews tell us that trauma was both a direct and indirect consequence of their experience as an adoptee and life with adoptive parents. This highlights the importance of suitable adoptive placements and vetting of potential adopters. Additionally, secrecy and lack of access to birth files led to unknown birth origins compounding identity issues.

Finally, our findings question the Irish Government's redress scheme, excluding anyone who spent less than six months in one of these homes. The majority of our participants are not eligible for this scheme, yet our findings demonstrate the enduring psychological impact of early life within and adoption from mother-and-baby homes.

Natasha Dalton is a PhD researcher at the School of Psychology at Ulster University

The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ