According to studentfirstproject.org, healthy attachment is a “reciprocal, enduring emotional connection between a child and his/her primary caregiver that begins when the child is in utero”. Furthermore, many things impact whether this attachment is healthy or unhealthy. Some psychosocial factors that could impact or influence attachment include parenting style, caregiver sensitivity, temperament of the child, and certain medical conditions.
Parenting style influences attachment because it dictates how the parent will respond to the child in their time of need. According to a study done by Karavasilis, Doyle, and Markiewicz (2003), “secure attachment was associated with children’s reports of parenting that was high …show more content…
During an assessment for a child referred for attachment issues, the service provider might witness a lack of trust in caregivers, or adults in positions of authority, resistance to nurturing behavior, difficulty receiving or giving affection, limited ability to self-reflect, emotional dysregulation, and minimal self-control. For example, an infant or child with numerous foster care placements has probably experienced several ruptured attachments; therefore, they may have temper tantrums in their current foster placement and they may also have difficulty receiving affection. A foster parent who is unaware of the signs of disrupted attachment may assume that the child really does not want to be in their home and this may result in another failed …show more content…
According to Warmuth and Cummings (2015), attachment theory “stipulates that for social and emotional development to occur normally, children and infants need to develop a relationship with at least one primary caregiver” (pg. 201). Through the development of attachment theory, it has been expanded to extend beyond the child and caregiver relationship and has been shown that early childhood attachment can be a predictor of relationships with peers. Therefore, this theoretical orientation would be appropriate for this scenario because it would address early childhood attachment, or lack thereof, as well as the early attachment style of the individual and how that attachment style may be affecting them now even in such a severe form that it warrants a attachment disorder