White, S. orcid.org/0000-0001-9003-5968, Gibson, M. and Wastell, D. (2019) Child protection and disorganized attachment : a critical commentary. Children and Youth Services Review, 105. 104415. ISSN 0190-7409
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.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/BY/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Child protection; Attachment theory; Disorganized attachment; Parenting; Decision-making |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Sociological Studies (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 19 Jul 2019 11:19 |
Last Modified: | 08 Dec 2021 08:49 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104415 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:148310 |