Causes and Characteristics of Attachment Disorder

by Matthew Rusten

The care that a child receives in the first years of life has a dynamic effect in determining the psychological well-being and relational health of the child. During the pivotal first three years of development, an infant learns that others are responsive to his needs, and is enabled to communicate his needs. "The infant's primary needs are touch, eye contact, movement, smiles, and nourishment." 1 If these essential needs have not been met, an attachment disorder may develop.

Causes of Attachment Disorder

  • Abuse or neglect
  • Premature birth
  • Hospitalizations: separation or loss
  • Multiple caretakers
  • Intensive parenting
  • Postpartum depression in mother
  • Painful or invasive medical procedures
  • Separation from birth mother
  • Adoption

Such circumstances may significantly alter chemical balances in the human body.

"Children without proper care in the first few years of life have an unusually high level of stress hormones, which adversely affects the way crucial aspects of the brain and body develop. Conscience development is dependent upon brain development and follows attachment. Therefore, these children lack pro-social values and morality as well as demonstrating aggressive, disruptive and antisocial behaviors." 2

Attachment

Attachment is dependent upon exchanges of affection between parent and child, as the parent mirrors the child's emotional state. This natural action plays a role in development, including the following: 3

  • maintaining the bonds of trust
  • attaining full intellectual potential
  • acquiring a conscience
  • developing relationships with others
  • identity and self-esteem
  • learning to regulate feelings
  • language development
  • brain structures
  • organization of the nervous system

Bonding

A key component in establishing a healthy attachment is the bond between caregiver and infant. While attachment is created through affection, bonding is created through trust.

Bonding occurs as a result of parents consistently responding to the needs of their child. During the first six-months, a typical pattern is one in which the infant has a need and begins to cry, the parent responds to the need, and the child is satisfied and becomes relaxed.

Boundaries are crucial during the toddler years. The growing child must encounter parental limits, and experience negative consequences if she challenges those boundaries. It is the parents job to keep a child safe, and by doing so, the child learns to trust, feel secure and recognize authority. 4

"When all goes well, the foundations for bonding and attachment are laid by 36 months. However, not all children successfully negotiate these steps. The results can range from mild developmental delays to a diagnosable attachment disorder. The good news is that what work has been missed by a child can sometimes be 'made up' later." 5

1 http://attachmenttherapy.com/ad.html. Evergreen Consultants in Human Behavior (March 1, 2004)
2 http://www.adoption.com
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid.
5 http://attachmenttherapy.com/ad.html Evergreen Consultants in Human Behavior (March 1, 2004)
Copyright © 2004 Focus on the Family.

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