Relationship Between Caregiver-Infant Neglect And Inecure Attachment

Research has revealed that there is a strong relationship between insecure attachment and a history of abuse and neglect (Begle, Dumas & Hanson, 2010). Insecure attachments are formed due to parenting stress and abusive parenting behavior. Parenting stress and abusive parenting behavior form children’s mental schemas of how the world works based upon early interactions with caregivers. These mental schemas construct their expectations about relationships. Ultimately

Ainsworth (1978) developed the Strange Situation Theory, which is how one is able to view the different levels of attachment (Groh, Roisman, Booth-LaForce, Flaley, Owen, Cox, & Burchinal, 2014). The first attachment is secure attachment, which is when a child is able to greet and seek out contact with the caregiver upon arrival after a stressful separation (Haltigan & Roisman, 2015). The next is anxious-avoidant/resistant (insecure) attachment, when the child has no want to contact with the caregiver while showing signs of resistance upon the return (Haltigan & Roisman, 2015). The last and the most crucial to child development is disoriented/ disorganized attachment; conflicting responses from the child which show hostile and aggressive behavior toward the caregiver (Haltigan & Roisman, 2015). All of these attachements show the different types of ways that a child can communicate with their caregiver. These actions are the representations of their early attachment and experiences with the caregiver (Siebert & Kerns, 2015). If there are no changes toward the environment, the attention

Infant attachment is the first relationship a child experiences and is crucial to the child’s survival (BOOK). A mother’s response to her child will yield either a secure bond or insecurity with the infant. Parents who respond “more sensitively and responsively to the child’s distress” establish a secure bond faster than “parents of insecure children”. (Attachment and Emotion, page 475) The quality of the attachment has “profound implications for the child’s feelings of security and capacity to form trusting relationships” (Book). Simply stated, a positive early attachment will likely yield positive physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development for the child. (BOOK)

In relation to the Adult Attachment Interview, one study focused on the states of mind and previous traumas of 70 neglectful or high risk mothers using a coding system called Hostile-Helpless (HH). This coding system for the Adult Attachment Interview according to Milot (2014),was developed to capture disorganized attachment states of mind that would result from childhood relational trauma.” (P.1351)The mothers were accessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, while results were coded from interview transcripts. The results of this study showed that there was a high prevalence of disorganized attachment states within the sample observed. Almost all of the mothers revealed a form of previous trauma, and in many causes reporting multiple

Mary Ainsworth’s studies on infant attachments in Uganda and the United States were instrumental in identifying attachment styles in infants. Her 1978 study titled Strange Situation, consisted of a series of infant–caregiver separations and reunions, in which researchers observed the behavior that the infant displayed. Based on the observations three distinct or styles of attachment were established: secure, avoidant, and ambivalent (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall,

In 1979, developmental psychologist Mary Ainsworth conducted an experiment with infants to determine if they had insecure or secure attachment to their mothers. In what she called a “Strange Situation,” babies had to cope with their mothers leaving the room and being left alone with a stranger. The ones who cried at first, played with the stranger, and then were happy when the mother returned were deemed to have secure attachment. Those who could not cope with their mother’s departure or begrudgingly ignored their mother upon return, were considered to have insecure attachment (Ainsworth). Later on in life, these infants were studied again.

Children whose caregivers are consistently inaccessible or rejecting tend to develop a strategy of minimizing the output of attachment behavior (Main, l990). These avoidant children appear to have little need for the attachment figure and show little overt distress, although they are angered and made anxious by rejection. Children of inconsistently available caretakers develop a strategy of maximizing attachment behaviors, because they are fearful of the caregiver's potential inaccessibility (Main, 1990).

Attachment is a term used to describe the dependency relationship a child develops towards his or her primary caregivers. It is first observable during the latter half of the first year of life and develops progressively over the first four years of life. It is most readily observed in the behavior of children when they are sick, injured, tired, anxious, hungry or thirsty. Although early attachment research focused on the mother and infant, it is now generally accepted that children develop multiple attachment relationships. An ‘attachment figure’ is defined as someone who provides physical and emotional care has continuity and consistency in the child’s life, and who has an emotional investment in the child’s life. This can include parents (biological, foster, adopted), grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles, and alternate caregivers (e.g. child-care workers). Given that children are able to form multiple attachments, the question has been asked as to which attachment relationship is most influential on children’s developmental outcomes.

The Journal Article “Linking Lack of Care in Childhood to Anxiety Disorders in Emerging Adulthood: the Role of Attachment Styles” discusses the research of what the title suggests, which is aimed at looking at the effects of childhood neglect and anxious-ambivalent attachment styles in the development in anxiety disorders (Schimmenti 42). Recently, the idea of emotional neglect “playing a key role” (Schimmenti 41) in the development of anxiety disorder has been a growing interest for Psychology researchers. Emotional neglect happens when a parent unintentionally overlooks the signs that that a child needs attention or comfort and not fulfilling a child’s emotional needs. Examples of this behavior includes: rejecting the child, withholding love, constant belittling, denying the child opportunities for interacting, and failing to provide psychological care.

It is of great importance to form secure attachments in childhood with a caregiver. For example, having high-quality attachment relationships in childhood are precursors for healthy emotional development, physical health, mental health (Ranson & Urichuk, 2008). Insecure children are at a greater risk for later behaviour problems, emotional dysregulation, psychopathology, and lower cognitive performance. In addition, families living in high psychosocial risk experience greater challenges in the caregiver-child relationship. For example, research has shown that maltreatment and socioeconomic disadvantage can lead to disorganized attachment relationships in which there is no systematic approach to using others as a secure base and there is fear

This type of attachment evolves around the pattern of caregiver’s responsiveness, protection, reliance and reassurance thus giving a secured relationship to both of them. The Insecure – Resistance attachment is the least common type of attachment (present in about 10% mother-infant relationships). In this type of attachment, the secure base is present but it lacks openness and trust. As a result, the infant tends to stick close to the base. Even if he is in his home base, he would show signs of anxiety implied in exploration and learning.

In comparing, Allan and Bacon (2010) provide helpful information on bonding and attachment, which resembles that of object relations, and attachment style. Although the authors refer to bonding and attachment as it relates to child abuse and neglect, the information provides insight to the importance of parents’ involvement and child’s development (Alan & Bacon, 2010). As a result, this enables the child to replicate this attachment with others in their lives, as they go on to forge new relationships however; when the child is inconsistently parented within the family of origin during developmental, or the child is abused and neglected, healthy attachment is impacted, which creates not only the child’s inability to bond with others, but

Attachment theory is the idea that a child needs to form a close relationship with at least one primary caregiver. The theory proved that attachment is necessary to ensure successful social and emotional development in an infant. It is critical for this to occur in the child’s early infant years. However, failed to prove that this nurturing can only be given by a mother (Birns, 1999, p. 13). Many aspects of this theory grew out of psychoanalyst, John Bowlby’s research. There are several other factors that needed to be taken into account before the social worker reached a conclusion; such as issues surrounding poverty, social class and temperament. These factors, as well as an explanation of insecure attachment will be further explored in

The quality of attachment towards primary caregivers is extremely malleable considering that there are multiple variables that can hinder or promote the relationship between a parent and child. This includes genetics, parenting style, environmental influences, and individualistic beliefs which can ultimately change the quality of attachment (Scott et al., 2013). As infants, children’s emotional growth is extremely sensitive towards external factors which is also influenced by their genetics. During adolescence, the consequences of previous parental care and environmental exposure can ultimately mold the quality of attachment later in life (Scott et al., 2013). It can be deduced that if a child has a strict parent and has reduced freedom

Mary Ainsworth in the early 1950’s developed a technique to measure attachment, called the “strange situation procedure”. She wanted to observe how children react to their mother’s leaving the room, being left alone with a stranger, and how they react to their mother returning.(Brain et al, 2009). She noticed that children with secure attachment were upset when their mother left, but were easily calmed and settled when their mother returned. She also noticed that children with secure attachments appeared to be those whose mother were consistent and sensitive and met their needs. This made them feel safe and trust their caregivers and thus develop a secure attachment. (Alleydog.com 's online glossary.) What if this was not present? If this consistent, nurturing and responsive relationship between the caregiver and the child is not present then the child will develop an insecure attachment. (Simplypsychologyorg, 2016)