Using an Attachment-Informed Framework in the Clinical Care of Children and Adolescents: A Review of Attachment Theory and Its Impact on Developmental Psychopathology

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (7) ◽  
pp. 300-315
Author(s):  
Salma Malik ◽  
Sheena Joychan ◽  
Jennifer Zajac ◽  
Scott Sinisgalli ◽  
Lisa Namerow
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Attachment Theory ◽  
Developmental Psychopathology ◽  
Clinical Care

Attachment Theory and Research

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross A. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Attachment Theory ◽  
Developmental Psychopathology ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Attachment Research ◽  
Early Parent ◽  
Parent Child Relationships ◽  
Parent Child

Attachment theory has long been at the forefront of research efforts to understand the origins and enduring impact of early parent–child relationships. It has also expanded into a theory of lifespan implications with relevance to problems in developmental psychopathology, early intervention, and mental representation. This review of the expanding research literature on attachment is organized around eight questions: (a) To whom do attachments develop? (b) What are the biological foundations of attachment? (c) How does culture influence attachment and its consequences? (d) What contributes to attachments becoming secure or insecure? (e) How does attachment security change over time? (f) What are the later outcomes of secure or insecure attachments? (g) How does attachment influence thinking and social representations? (h) What are the clinical implications of attachment research? The answers to these questions summarize what has been learned about the importance of early parent–child relationships and identify future research priorities.

scholarly journals Clinical characterization of children and adolescents with NF1 microdeletions

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (10) ◽  
pp. 2297-2310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hildegard Kehrer-Sawatzki ◽  
Lan Kluwe ◽  
Johannes Salamon ◽  
Lennart Well ◽  
Said Farschtschi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Developmental Delay ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Global Developmental Delay ◽  
Disease Manifestation ◽  
Tumour Load ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Purpose An estimated 5–11% of patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) harbour NF1 microdeletions encompassing the NF1 gene and its flanking regions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical phenotype in children and adolescents with NF1 microdeletions. Methods We retrospectively analysed 30 children and adolescents with NF1 microdeletions pertaining to externally visible neurofibromas. The internal tumour load was determined by volumetry of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 20 children and adolescents with NF1 microdeletions. Furthermore, the prevalence of global developmental delay, autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were evaluated. Results Children and adolescents with NF1 microdeletions had significantly more often cutaneous, subcutaneous and externally visible plexiform neurofibromas than age-matched patients with intragenic NF1 mutations. Internal neurofibromas were detected in all 20 children and adolescents with NF1 microdeletions analysed by whole-body MRI. By contrast, only 17 (61%) of 28 age-matched NF1 patients without microdeletions had internal tumours. The total internal tumour load was significantly higher in NF1 microdeletion patients than in NF1 patients without microdeletions. Global developmental delay was observed in 28 (93%) of 30 children with NF1 microdeletions investigated. The mean full-scale intelligence quotient in our patient group was 77.7 which is significantly lower than that of patients with intragenic NF1 mutations. ADHD was diagnosed in 15 (88%) of 17 children and adolescents with NF1 microdeletion. Furthermore, 17 (71%) of the 24 patients investigated had T-scores ≥ 60 up to 75, indicative of mild to moderate autistic symptoms, which are consequently significantly more frequent in patients with NF1 microdeletions than in the general NF1 population. Also, the mean total T-score was significantly higher in patients with NF1 microdeletions than in the general NF1 population. Conclusion Our findings indicate that already at a very young age, NF1 microdeletions patients frequently exhibit a severe disease manifestation which requires specialized long-term clinical care.

scholarly journals Incorporating genetic counseling into clinical care for children and adolescents with cancer

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 883-886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica N Everett ◽  
Rajen J Mody ◽  
Elena M Stoffel ◽  
Arul M Chinnaiyan
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Counseling ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Clinical Care

Linking Adverse Childhood Effects and Attachment: A Theory of Etiology for Sexual Offending

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa D. Grady ◽  
Jill S. Levenson ◽  
Tess Bolder
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Attachment Theory ◽  
Developmental Psychopathology ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Explanatory Theory ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Abusive Behavior ◽  
Sexually Abusive ◽  
Adverse Childhood ◽  
Sexually Abusive Behavior

Sexual violence continues to be a significant public health problem affecting significant portions of the population. Unfortunately, an agreed upon theory of etiology remains elusive leading to challenges in developing effective prevention and treatment interventions. Recently, there is a growing body of literature examining the role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the development of sexually violent behavior. This research has begun to explore the rates of various types of child maltreatments and family dysfunction in individuals who have been convicted of a sexual crime. These empirical inquiries have been primarily descriptive in nature and have not yet provided a cohesive theoretical model as to why the presence of ACEs might contribute to sexually abusive behavior. This article suggests that attachment theory offers an explanatory link between early adversity and sexually abusive behavior in adulthood. We first summarize important attachment theory concepts, then integrate them with research in the area of developmental psychopathology and ACEs, and finally propose a model by which attachment can be used as an explanatory theory for subsequent sexualized coping and sexually abusive behaviors. Finally, this article explores the implications for practice, policy, and research using this explanatory theory as a framework for understanding sexual violence.

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