Psychology Facts

▼ Attachment Disorder(s) ▼

》Attachment disorder is a broad term intended to describe disorders of mood, behavior, and social relationships arising from a failure to form normal attachments to primary care giving figures in early childhood.

》Attachment theory is an evolutionary theory. In relation to infants, it primarily consists of proximity seeking to an attachment figure in the face of threat, for the purpose of survival. Although an attachment is a "tie" it is not synonymous with love and affection

》Such a failure would result from unusual early experiences of neglect, abuse, abrupt separation from caregivers after about age 6 months but before about age 3 years, frequent change of caregivers or excessive numbers of caregivers, or lack of caregiver responsiveness to child communicative efforts.

》Some of the basic signs/characteristics that a person struggles with attachment are:

History of abandonment, neglect, abuse, and/or multiple placements

Indiscriminately seeks affection and/or comfort from strangers (i.e., pseudo-attachments)

Anti-social behaviors (e.g., lying, stealing, manipulating, destructiveness, cruelty, fire-setting, aggression)

Lack of authenticity, spontaneity, flexibility, and empathy

Lack of physical affection and closeness and/or inappropriate clinginess

Poor eye contact

Problems with learning, attending, self-regulating, self-monitoring

Abnormal eating and elimination patterns (e.g., wetting, soiling, hoarding food)

》The children exhibiting the most severe symptoms are sometimes diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), or the newer diagnosis — Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED). All disorders/impairments of attachment are serious, because they impede the childs emotional health and ability to have meaningful relationships.

》Reactive Attachment Disorder

The DSM-5 gives the following criteria for Reactive Attachment Disorder

A consistent pattern of inhibited, emotionally withdrawn behavior toward adult caregivers, manifested by both of the following:

The child rarely or minimally seeks comfort when distressed.

The child rarely or minimally responds to comfort when distressed.

A persistent social or emotional disturbance characterized by at least two of the following:

Minimal social and emotional responsiveness to others

Limited positive affect

Episodes of unexplained irritability, sadness, or fearfulness that are evident even during nonthreatening interactions with adult caregivers.

The child has experienced a pattern of extremes of insufficient care as evidenced by at least one of the following:

Social neglect or deprivation in the form of persistent lack of having basic emotional needs for comfort, stimulation, and affection met by caring adults

Repeated changes of primary caregivers that limit opportunities to form stable attachments (e.g., frequent changes in foster care)

Rearing in unusual settings that severely limit opportunities to form selective attachments (e.g., institutions with high child to caregiver ratios)