Psychology - Disruption of attachment

Question 1

Stages of children’s responses to separation

Answer 1

Protest

Despair

Detachment

Question 2

Protest

Answer 2

Child cries and screams

Likely to try and cling to the parent and may try to escape from others who pick them up

Question 3

Despair

Answer 3

After a while child’s protests begin to subdue

Appear calmer but still upset Refuse others attempts to comfort them

May appear withdrawn and uninterested in anything

Question 4

Detachment

Answer 4

If separation continues child may begin to engage with other people again

Will be wary of others though

Likely to reject caregiver and show signs of anger when they return

Question 5

Long term effect of separation

Answer 5

Separation anxiety

Question 6

Separation anxiety

Answer 6

Long term effect of separation

Can persist long after separation is over

Child alternates between extreme clinginess and detachment

Question 7

Factors that affect a child’s reaction to separation

Answer 7

Age of child

Type of attachment child has to caregiver

Sex of child

Whom the child is left with and the quality of care received

Experience of previous separations

Question 8

Age of child (actors that affect a child’s reaction to separation)

Answer 8

Response to short-term separation is strongest at 12-18 months

Question 9

Type of attachment (actors that affect a child’s reaction to separation)

Answer 9

Securely attached child more likely to cope better to short term separation than other two types

Question 10

Child’s gender (actors that affect a child’s reaction to separation)

Answer 10

Boys seem to respond more strongly than girls to separation

Wide differences in genders as well as between them

Question 11

Who left with/quality of care (actors that affect a child’s reaction to separation)

Answer 11

I left with another attachment figure, effects can be minimal

Multiple attachments at 10 months

Question 12

Experience of previous separations (actors that affect a child’s reaction to separation)

Answer 12

Child who is used to brief separations (nursery, playgroup) react less to separation

Question 13

Privation

Answer 13

Lack of something

In this case lack of any attachment at all in early childhood

Question 14

Two types of study used to obtain research on prevation

Answer 14

Case studies

Institutional studies

Question 15

Koluchova case study - before found

Answer 15

Reported a case study of twin boys born in 1960 in Czechoslovakia brought up in care after death of mother

Returned to father and step-mother at 18 months, who locked them in a unheated cellar alone

When found they had no speech, were afraid of people and had serious health issues from malnutrition

Question 16

Koluchova after found (not including follow ups)

Answer 16

Boys attended a school for children with learning difficulties for intensive rehabilitation

Adopted by 2 sisters who provided a secure and permanent home for them

Question 17

Koluchova 1977

Answer 17

First follow up on Czechoslovakian boys

Had average intelligence

Developed into happy and sociable boys

Attending mainstream school

Question 18

Koluchova 1991

Answer 18

Second follow up of Czechoslovakian boys

All damage had been repaired

No sign of psychological damage

Question 19

What year did Koluchova’s case study begin?

Answer 19

1969

Question 20

Skuse

Answer 20

2 sisters were found by social services in a small room attached to the bed with dog leads (Louise, 3½ and Mary, 2½)

Mother had severe learning difficulties and may have had some mental illness When found had no real speech and showed little evidence of play

Question 21

Skuse outcome for girls

Answer 21

Louise

• Had speech therapy
• Developed normal language
• Attended primary school at 5

**Mary **

• Did not develop language skills,
• Moved to a unit for autistic children aged 7½

Question 22

What year was Skuse?

Answer 22

1984

Question 23

Tizard and Hodges

Answer 23

Natural experiment

Looked at long term effects of privation

65 children brough up in children’s homes until aged around 4 years

Staff were discouraged from forming relationships with them so they wouldn’t be upset if staff left

Had on average 24 different carers by 2

50 by 4

Question 24

Tizard and Hodges year

Answer 24

1984 and 1989

Question 25

Tizard and Hodges - what happened to the kids

Answer 25

2 years old

• Children show a range of unuasual attachment behaviours, like demanding attention from stranger rather than being afraid of them

4 years old

• 25 were reunited with biological parents
• 33 adopted
• Remaining 7 stayed in care

Question 26

Tizard and Hodges results

Answer 26

Those in adopted group seemed to develop good family relationships

Reunited children seemed to still have some problems

Both groups showed problems in relationships with peers

• Still seemed orientated towards pleasing adults

Question 27

Rutter et al

Answer 27

Longitudinal study comparing Romanian orphans with Uk born orphans adopted by UK families

Romanian orphans dopted at either before 6 months or 6-24 months

Looked at disinhibitted attachment

Question 28

Disinhibited attachment

Answer 28

Behaviour shown by some children who have been raised in insitutions

Seek attention from adults, even strangers

Lack of fear of strangers

Question 29

Rutter *et al *results at age 6

Answer 29

Romanian adopted before 6 months

• Small amount more marked disihibition than UK adoptees

Romanian adopted between 6 and 24 months

• A lot more marked disinhibition than UK adoptees

Question 30

Rutter et al results at age 11

Answer 30

Slightly less Romanian adoptees who showed disinhibited attachment still showed this at 11

Worrying because it is still over 50%

Also many of those showing disinhibited attachments were recieving help from special education and/or mental health services