Abstract
The concept of ‘disorganized attachment’ has been influential in child protection practice, often taken as a marker of abusive parenting and purportedly linked to a wide range of deleterious outcomes for children. However, there is considerable controversy about the origins and meanings of the classification. This paper examines the assertions and controversies within the primary science, and poses fundamental questions about the robustness, legitimacy and utility of ‘disorganized attachment’ as a concept in child protection assessment and decision-making. It shows that, despite a purported association between disorganized attachment and the quality of the parental care the child is provided, there is little agreement in the scientific community on the transmission mechanism and the link between disorganized attachment and later deleterious outcomes for children is weak. It concludes that whilst attachment theory itself provides a valuable contribution to child protection practice, ‘disorganized attachment’ should be handled with care.
Highlights
Attachment theory was popularized during the 1940s and 1950s, and is generally attributed to the work of John Bowlby, James Robertson and Mary Ainsworth
Despite a purported association between disorganized attachment and the quality of the parental care the child is provided, there is little agreement in the scientific community on the transmission mechanism and the link between disorganized attachment and later deleterious outcomes for children is weak. It concludes that whilst attachment theory itself provides a valuable contribution to child protection practice, ‘disorganized attachment’ should be handled with care
The following extracts, taken from cases reported in the family courts in England demonstrate the classification being invoked in expert reports: Extract 1 The mother, as a result of her own needs, was unable in Dr Williams view to fulfil her parenting role
Summary
Attachment theory was popularized during the 1940s and 1950s, and is generally attributed to the work of John Bowlby, James Robertson and Mary Ainsworth. Attachment theory is a complex synthesis of a range of diverse ideas arising originally from attempts to make sense of clinical observations of children experiencing distressing separations from their parents. This is the idea that children can develop ‘disorganized attachments’ to their caregivers. It has further been argued that disorganized attachment behaviors can be considered a proxy for child abuse and abusive parenting (inter alia Shemmings & Shemmings, 2011 and Wilkins, 2012) This has reinforced its use in child protection work, but simultaneously has caused controversy in the research community (see Duschinsky, 2015; Granqvist et al, 2017). Given the widespread use of disorganized attachment in practice and the ongoing controversy about the origins and meanings of the classification, here we examine the assertions and controversies within the primary science, and pose further fundamental questions about the robustness, legitimacy and utility of ‘disorganized attachment’ as a concept in child protection assessment and decision‐making
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