The Ties That Bind

In my last blog posting I discussed a child’s fear of strangers. A related issue is that of attachment. Attachment is an emotional tie that exists between an infant and a caregiver (different than bonding, which is a one-way parental emotional tie to an infant). Each child has an attachment style, which can be described as how a child behaves when her parent or caregiver leaves her with a stranger for a short period of time. A child’s attachment style can say a lot about the quality of care a child receives and can highlight development possibilities. Attachment is typically formed by the end of infancy, and attachment style is measured by Mary Ainsworth’s Strange Situation experiment that is given between the ages of 12-18 months.

Ainsworth’s experiment begins with an infant placed in a room with his or her mother. Ideally, children will use their parents as secure bases for exploration and feel safe navigating their environments, which include new people. A stranger enters the room, and then the mother leaves the room so the infant is left alone briefly with the stranger. The mother then reenters the room and is reunited with her infant. Reactions such as separation distress and stranger distress are recorded when the mother leaves the room and when the mother reenters the room. Infants begin to experience separation distress typically from 7 to 24 months. Separation distress can be defined as anxiety children feel when their caregivers temporarily leave them and is a normal adaptive response for an attached infant.

There are four types of attachment styles:

• Secure attachment (about 65% of cases): infants use their mothers as secure bases for exploration, protest their mothers’ departure, are easily comforted by their mothers when they return, and show positive emotional responses to their mothers. Infants may be comforted by strangers but show a clear preference for their mothers.

• Anxious-avoidant attachment (about 20% of cases): infants are unable to use their mothers as secure bases for exploration. They easily separate from their mothers, avoid or ignore them when they return to the room, and treat strangers similarly to their mothers. This type of attachment style typically occurs due to past rejection/unresponsive care from the mother.

• Anxious-resistant attachment (about 10% of cases): infants have trouble separating from their mothers to explore. They are ambivalent about contact with their mothers and typically display anger and reluctance to return to their mothers when she reenters the room. Infants are not easily calmed by strangers. This type of attachment typically occurs due to inconsistent or chaotic caregiving.

• Disorganized-disoriented attachment (about 5% of cases): infants have no consistent way of interacting with their mothers and typically act confused. They may display behaviors such as rocking back and forth. This type of attachment typically occurs due to abuse or drug/alcohol use by the mother.

Research has shown that the latter three attachment styles can have negative consequences for a child’s cognitive, social and emotional development such as (a) less cognitive advantages, (b) less advanced patterns of play, (c) poor peer relationships and social competence, (d) future psychopathology, (e) difficulty in romantic relationships, and (f) insecure attachments with their own children. Typically, attachment style is stable over time but can be changed with higher quality of care.

Secure attachment is optimal. Research has shown that factors such as emotional availability as well as consistent and sensitive care can lead to secure attachment. Secure attachment is associated with qualities that impact social and emotional development such as higher self-esteem, empathy towards others, less aggression, healthy trusting relationships, ability to share feelings with others, and seeking social support. Cognitive advantages include more sophisticated play, greater problem solving abilities, and greater attention and memory skills.

For a video of Mary Ainsworth’s Strange Situation Experiment, please visit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36GI_1PBQpM

For tips on how to parent a child with an insecure attachment, please visit:
http://helpguide.org/mental/parenting_bonding_reactive_attachment_disorder.htm