Annotated Bibliography On Mother-Child Attachment

The major social factors to consider for understanding Charlie’s behavior are family dynamics and communication. When Charlie was placed in his aunt’s home due to his mother’s health condition, his communication and interaction with his mother and family became limited and inconsistent. He did not have access to his stepfather because he was caring for the newborn nor to his mother because she was busy with her frequent appointments with her psychiatrist and therapist as well as with her medication regimen. According to research, disruption in family dynamics and communication impacts the child’s ability to focus and impairs the child’s social-emotional development (Schechter et al., 2010). Furthermore, the attachment theory suggests that the threat of not having access to an attachment figure influences a child to feel anger, fear and sadness (Bowlby, 2008). The findings also indicate that the limited and inconsistent level of interaction with his mother and family do not help meet his basic need of safety. These factors are important for understanding his behavior because they help create a safe environment for Charlie and thus create stability in his emotions. The factors and research findings also help understand Charlie’s behavior because Charlie experienced many events of being separated from his mother and family.

Attachment behaviour according to Mary Ainsworth (1985; Ainsworth and Bell, 1974; Ainsworth et al., 1978) forms the groundings for all potential associations and this develops up to two years after the child is born. She also harmonized with Bowlby on the view that the attachment bonding occurred within the age of two years old. Approximately when the child is seven months old they become wary of strangers and unknown surroundings. This continue until the child is about two years old. The procedure Ainsworth (1969) investigated to measure if a child was securely or insecurely attached was the ‘strange situation paradigm’. This entailed a sequence of short partings and reunions. The child’s parent and a stranger took part in the

The purpose of this study is to look at the relationship between infant attachment styles and psychological wellbeing, with general anxiety as a measure of psychological wellbeing. This study will use an adult sample that will go through psychological tests to determine what attachment style each individual had when they were infants. After establishing their attachment styles their general anxiety levels will be tested. The results of these tests will help in establishing the relationship between the two variables. This study will have positive outcomes because it will improve existing information on this subject in psychology. This study could provide a better

Although secure attachment during infancy is the foundation for continued healthy positive development during the lifespan, it is important to understand that other factors can have a significant effect on development later in life (i.e. illness, loss, and trauma). However, research has shown the importance of consistent care giving that is responsive and nurturing and the caregivers’ ability to effectively accommodate more difficult temperament characteristics ,as well as other factors, influence the development of healthy attachment{{64 Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian 2003}}. Research has also shown that infancy and early childhood is the period of development where scaffolding begins and continues (Vygotsky, 1978; Zhao & Orey,1999).

Treatment strategies are not as well established for disorganized attachment as they are with other attachments. However, there is a critical need to develop these strategies as this particular population struggles immensely with issues such as self-regulation, the development and maintenance of relationships, as well as many other conditions that affect their daily lives. An important and critical time for treatment is during early childhood, as the longer a person struggles with disorganized attachment, the more difficult it is to treat and correct that attachment. There are a number of different treatments that may be utilized, and researchers are in the process of determining their effectiveness. There have been some case studies that have discussed the potential for individual therapies that have a focus on both emotional regulation and the growth of relational abilities through non-directive play according to Zilberstein (2010, p.89) Other studies have instead choose to focus on the changes that are elicited through the basic parent-child

Attachment disruptions occur with adults in relationships, however, they can have roots in childhood experiences. Attachment is vital to social and emotional growth in early developmental years (Zeanah & Smyke, 2008). Attachment disorders were a part of the third Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III; American Psychiatric Association, 1980). Reactive Attachment Disorder with two subtypes, RAD and disinhibited social engagement disorder is still included in the DSM V (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). An increased risk for anxiety disorders, substance abuse and personality disorders has been demonstrated for children exhibiting insecure attachments, primarily

Key Article - Mother–child attachment, emotion regulation, and anxiety symptoms in middle childhood by LAURA E. BRUMARIU, KATHRYN A. KERNS, AND ASHLEY SEIBERT(2012)

The main theory used in this study will be attachment theory, which is a model that attempts to describe the dynamics of long-term interpersonal relationships between humans. Originally Attachment Theory was developed to see how interactions between a parents and child shaped the child’s personality but later it evolved to include other relationships such as romantic partners, siblings, and friendships. (Baxter & Braitwaithe 2008). Attachment style are believed to be formed in early childhood through interactions with the primary caregiver (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991).

Whether they are sick, tired, hungry, or upset, caregivers of children with secure attachment most times consistently engage the child when cued, and provide predictable, supportive emotional and physical reactions that the child has learned to rely on. Conversely, in avoidant attachment caregivers have demonstrated that they cannot be relied on to provide emotional support in response to the child’s needs. The caregivers have either reacted to the child’s distress in a cold manner or ignored them completely. Children who are insecurely ambivalent attached often have caregivers that are inconsistent in their response to the child’s distress. The child exhibits escalating behavior such as cries turning into shrieks and screaming. They appear to want contact with the caregiver through cues, but will resist contact when attempted by the caregiver. Disorganized attachment is a result of a caregiver who is inappropriate in their response to their child, responding sexually, physically or verbally abusive. The children may present with odd behavior and act out. (Arxcis, 2017).

The relationships between attachment classification, psychopathology, and personality traits during adolescence, undergoes a process of individuation, separation and profound socio-emotional changes. Throughout this period, attachment functions as a stress regulator, mediating internal security and proximity access, while emotion regulation is often linked to an increased rate of psychopathology (Rosenstein & Horowitz, 1996). Baby 's attachments develop in the following sequence:

As explained by Bowlby (2008), the quality of the attachment relationship between a parent and child is a crucial determinant in development. The quality of parental sensitivity in repeated interactions and daily occurrences permits the child to set expectations regarding the behavior of their primary caregiver in times of duress (Kerns & Brumariu, 2014). Consequently, a child’s social and emotional development is ultimately affected by the type of parent-child attachment experienced early in life. The research revealed that secure attachment formed between the parent and child predicts ideal behavior (Kochanska & Kim, 2013). However, the formation of insecure attachment styles significantly increase potential risks for challenging behavior regarding social and emotional

Trauma and negative attachment experiences can cause different attachment styles. Longitudinal studies have shown that secure attachment is a protective factor for a child’s development (Sroufe, 2005). Children with secure attachments respond with greater psychological resilience to emotional stress. An insecure attachment development, however, is a risk factor, which can lead to the individual experiencing psychological decompression in stress situation or cause more difficulty dealing with conflicts in a socially competent way. Children with insecure attachment styles often show less pro-social behaviors at the kindergarten age and behave more aggressively than their playmates. In adolescence they are often more isolated, have fewer friendships, and feel that relationships overall are less important for their lives. I never doubted that Cynthia had an insecure attachment style. Deciding on her specific style was more difficulty given that I had to do this in hindsight. For Cynthia, I considered dismissive-avoidant, anxious-preoccupied,

All of the previous studies have focused on disorganized/disoriented infant behaviours in terms of a categorical variable. The last objective is to quantitatively examine disorganized/disoriented attachments behaviours. It is hypothesized that lower EA will be related to higher incidences of disorganized/disoriented attachment behaviours. As reported by Candelaria, Teti, and Black (2011), childhood attachment and parental sensitivity is impacted by cumulative risk factors such as single-parent status, poverty, maternal education, and maternal mental health. In the present study,

Attachment refers to the first emotional bond that develops gradually between a child and the parent and which serves to ensure the child's protection and psychological security (Gauman). When referring to or speaking of attachment or the emotional bond that a child begins to form in early childhood, it is assumed that it is with the child’s mother instead of possibly the child’s biological father or perhaps just a caregiver. As research has shown there is a major correlation between a child’s cognitive and behavioral growth based on the relationship developed between the mother and child. However, is there a difference in development emotional or developmentally when that correspondence is shared with the father and the child? Multiple studies

There are various factors that contribute to huge challenges or issues in the attachment relationship or connection between parents and their children. Throughout the past few years, several attachment researches have been conducted to examine a wide range of various factors that contribute to these issues. The factors