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Attachment, aggression and holding: A cautionary tale

Attachment, aggression and holding: A cautionary tale Attachment & Human Development Vol 5 No 3 (September 2003) 245 – 247 Attachment, aggression and holding: A cautionary tale NEIL W. BORIS INTRODUCTION O’Connor and Zeanah’s review of assessment strategies and treatment approaches for attachment disorders is both timely and important. There were at least two deaths in the USA in 2002 attributed to interventions designed to address the specific ‘attachment problems’ of children. The forensic details suggest that the treatments employed in these cases were somewhat different; however, in both instances forcible restraint (e.g., a form of holding therapy) was used in an effort to ‘promote re-attachment.’ Available media reports suggest that mental health professionals hired to address what were deemed attachment disorder symptoms were actively involved in shaping what appear to have been coercive physical interventions in both cases. While media attention and prosecution may force mental health providers to reconsider restraint-based interventions, it is unlikely that the number of children who experienced early disruptions of attachment and present with impulsive and aggressive behavior will diminish. In fact, the rise in adoptions of institutionalized children, the majority of whom experienced severe emotional deprivation, and the continuing problems with permanency planning in the US foster care system http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Attachment & Human Development Taylor & Francis

Attachment, aggression and holding: A cautionary tale

BORIS, NEIL W.
Attachment & Human Development , Volume 5 (3): 3 – Sep 1, 2003
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN
1469-2988
eISSN
1461-6734
DOI
10.1080/14616730310001593947
pmid
12944217
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Attachment & Human Development Vol 5 No 3 (September 2003) 245 – 247 Attachment, aggression and holding: A cautionary tale NEIL W. BORIS INTRODUCTION O’Connor and Zeanah’s review of assessment strategies and treatment approaches for attachment disorders is both timely and important. There were at least two deaths in the USA in 2002 attributed to interventions designed to address the specific ‘attachment problems’ of children. The forensic details suggest that the treatments employed in these cases were somewhat different; however, in both instances forcible restraint (e.g., a form of holding therapy) was used in an effort to ‘promote re-attachment.’ Available media reports suggest that mental health professionals hired to address what were deemed attachment disorder symptoms were actively involved in shaping what appear to have been coercive physical interventions in both cases. While media attention and prosecution may force mental health providers to reconsider restraint-based interventions, it is unlikely that the number of children who experienced early disruptions of attachment and present with impulsive and aggressive behavior will diminish. In fact, the rise in adoptions of institutionalized children, the majority of whom experienced severe emotional deprivation, and the continuing problems with permanency planning in the US foster care system

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Attachment & Human Development – Taylor & Francis

Published: Sep 1, 2003

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