Work

From the cradle to the grave: The effect of adverse caregiving environments on attachment and relationships throughout the lifespan.

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: This paper reviews research examining the effects of adverse early caregiving on relationships throughout the lifespan. Central attachment constructs are summarized and integrated into a review of research on the long-term effects of institutional rearing and child maltreatment. Findings are interpreted within the organizational perspective on development, which conceptualizes attachment as a stage-salient task of infancy that influences the reorganization of adaptive/maladaptive functioning around subsequent stage-salient tasks. Children who experience adverse early caregiving are more likely to exhibit aberrant attachment behaviors, deficits in social-emotional competencies, and persisting difficulties in social functioning and relationship outcomes. Disorganized attachment behavior stemming from adverse early caregiving has been a major focus of this work. Intervention efforts that target mental representations related to attachment relationships can facilitate improved social functioning. Clinical implications of this work are discussed.

Source: Clinical Psychology Science and Practice

DOI: 10.1111/cpsp.12192

Authors: Colleen Doyle, Dante Cicchetti

Institution: University of Minnesota

Language: English

Topic: Attachment and Relationship Dynamics

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: Jacobs Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health