DISORGANISED INSECURE ATTACHMENT

By Cecilia Gutiérrez A., Psychologist NSW SLASA.

psychologist@nswslasa.com.au   

Although all insecure attachment patterns, as mentioned over the previous weeks, represent a significant risk for child development, disorganised attachment presents the highest risk to the child, as these parents have pronounced parenting incompetence and severe emotional problems, products of their own traumatic childhood experiences, such as having been victims of child abuse, negligence, abandonment, child molestation, and endless unresolved loss and trauma. This kind of attachment, in particular, is directly linked to child abuse.

Parents who have established a disorganised attachment bond with their children not only lack the parenting skills to respond appropriately to their children’s basic and emotional needs, but in most cases, physical and psychological mistreatment of the child occurs. Statistics show that 80% of children with this kind of attachment suffer severe child abuse at home. Lyons-Ruth & Block, (1996) as cited in Dantagnan (2005) state that: “The more severe the history of violence and parent abuse is, more hostile the relationship with the children. (… ) unresolved loss and trauma fill their parenting techniques with intense fear and anxiety, which translates into rejection, physical violence or sexual abuse”.

It is important to stress that all traumatic experiences of a physical or psychological nature have notable effects on different dimensions of a child’s development, such as emotional, social, and cognitive-behaviour development. The biological well being of the child is also affected through inadequate nutrition, due to basic needs that are not met or emotional deprivation, increasing cortisol levels (stress hormone) in the blood which affect the immune system and brain development, hindering neurological development and possibly leading to significant learning disorders and/or disabilities.

On the other hand, a child exposed to abuse resulting from a disorganised attachment is more likely to view abuse as ‘natural’ and to learn that acting violently is a ‘valid’ way to relate to others and to solve problems. This form of viewing the world and relating to others will undoubtedly produce serious difficulties at an emotional level, in addition to difficulties in developing healthy short, medium and long term interpersonal relationships, characterised by closeness, warmth, empathy, and trust. Furthermore, when confronted with conflict or stressful situations, the child who has been raised in a home where domestic violence commonly occurs will not have the resources needed to handle and resolve these situations effectively, since perception, impulse control, communication skills, reflection, and other cognitive factors have been seriously affected.