Abstract
To explore attachment narratives in children diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder (RAD). Method: We compared attachment narratives, as measured by the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task, in a group of 33 children with a diagnosis of RAD and 37 comparison children. Results: The relative risk (RR) for children with RAD having an insecure attachment pattern was 2.4 (1.4-4.2) but 30% were rated as securely attached. Within the RAD group, children with a clear history of maltreatment were more likely to be Insecure-Disorganised than children without a clear
history of maltreatment. Conclusions: Reactive attachment disorder is not the same as attachment insecurity, and questions remain about how attachment research informs clinical research on attachment disorders.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 931-942 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry |
Volume | 50 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Apr 2009 |
Keywords
- attachment
- neglect
- reactive attachment disorder
- statistics