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Reactive attachment disorder--a theoretical model beyond attachment.

Despite its importance in public health, reactive attachment disorder (RAD) is an under-researched and little used clinical category. Abnormalities of social relatedness have long been documented in children who have been abused, neglected or institutionalised, but there have been more recent efforts to define these behaviours within the psychiatric nosology. There has been an implicit assumption that the central deficit in RAD is in the attachment system, but this has caused controversy and may have blocked research. We propose that RAD is better construed within the framework of intersubjectivity, which has a central role in the development of core brain and social functions and may also have had an important role in the evolution of a key human characteristic-complex social functioning. This broader framework may potentially explain apparently diverse symptoms such as indiscriminate friendliness and negative or unpredictable reunion responses. Finally, we suggest that a change of name may be useful in progressing the field, but accept that this may be difficult until there is better agreement in the clinical and scientific communities about the core features and aetiology of this disorder.

Child↗

[Early, repeated traumatization, attachment organization and developmental psychopathology--selected findings and clinical options].

Self-Psychology, as a segment of contemporary psychoanalysis, can claim merit as to having included the vastly accrued body of knowledge of pertinent fields of the human sciences into their clinical reasoning. This, in turn, has set forth a rebound effect which eventually has contributed to Psychoanalysis' still ongoing exodus from its long-lasting "splendid isolation". By presenting selected findings pertaining to attachment- and neuroscientific trauma-research, the author aims at hypothesizing with reference to the interface of early ontogenic attachment disorganization, onset of dissociative disorders and graded traumatic impact. Finally, in considering clinical relevance of the data, the author opts for composite strategies i.e. measures embedded in an overall psychodynamic treatment stance inclusive of occasional employ of EMDR and hypnotherapeutic interventions.

Adolescent↗

Socioemotional development in adolescents at risk for depression: the role of maternal depression and attachment style.

We examined the impact on adolescent socioemotional functioning of maternal postnatal depression (PND) and attachment style. We also investigated the role of earlier aspects of the child's development-attachment in infancy, and 5-year representations of family relationships. Ninety-one mother-child pairs, recruited in the postnatal period, were followed up at 13 years. Adolescents were interviewed about their friendships, and their level of emotional sensitivity and maturity were rated. Emotional sensitivity was heightened in girls whose mothers experienced PND; notably, its occurrence was also linked to insecure attachment in infancy and raised awareness of emotional components of family relationships at 5 years. High emotional sensitivity was also associated with adolescent depressed mood. Raised social maturity was predicted by a secure maternal attachment style and, for girls, by exposure to maternal PND. Precursors of adolescent social maturity were evident in the narrative coherence of 5-year family representations. Higher social maturity in the friendship interview was also associated with overall good adjustment.

Adolescent↗

Effects of attachment-based interventions on maternal sensitivity and infant attachment: differential susceptibility of highly reactive infants.

The current intervention study aimed at breaking the potential intergenerational cycle of insecure attachment. The authors randomly assigned 81 first-time mothers to one of two intervention groups or a control group. The interventions involved four home visits when the infants were between 7 and 10 months old. The first intervention, VIPP, consisted of video-feedback and brochures to enhance sensitive parenting. The second intervention, VIPP-R, involved additional discussions of mothers' childhood attachment experiences in relation to their current caregiving. After the intervention, intervention mothers were more sensitive than control mothers. The interventions were most effective for highly reactive children and their mothers, providing experimental support for Belsky's (1997) hypothesis of highly reactive versus less reactive children's evolutionary based differential susceptibility to rearing influences.

Adult↗

Joan of Arc meets Mary Poppins: maternal re-nurturing approaches with male patients in Ego-State Therapy.

Many patients with posttraumatic fragmentation demonstrate a positive response to the corrective possibilities provided through Ego-State Therapy. However, full resolution of presenting symptoms may not occur for individuals with significant childhood histories of parental abuse and neglect without opposite sex, as well as same sex, re-nurturing interventions. This presentation emphasizes the use of maternal re-nurturing methods with men who struggle with the effects of significant attachment deficits in early life. Case examples feature male patients with long-term difficulties in their adult relationships with women that had proved refractory to other therapy methods. Following Ego-State Therapy interventions with maternal symbolic figures, however, these problems improved dramatically. Therapeutic implications for cross-gender re-nurturing with patients who report different types of maternal attachment trauma are explored and discussed.

Adolescent↗

Attachment therapy using deliberate restraint: an object lesson on the identification of unvalidated treatments.

TOPIC: An unusual and potentially dangerous intervention called attachment therapy, used for children and adolescence. PURPOSE: To help clinicians understand the nature of attachment therapy and the ways in which it exemplifies unvalidated treatment approaches. SOURCES: Internet and published articles on evaluation of treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Attachment therapy has many characteristics associated with warning signals of an unvalidated treatment. Mental health professionals have responsibilities to educate individuals and the community about unvalidated treatments such as attachment therapy and to work toward legislation and policy change to make such treatments unavailable.

Adolescent↗

Dissociation of systemic GH-IGF-I axis from a genetic basis for short stature in African Pygmies.

OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that the primary cause of short stature in African Pygmies resides in low levels of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), and to evaluate whether any observed alterations in their systemic IGF-I status can be dissociated from the effects of malnutrition and/or altered immune status. SETTING: Expedition to camps of partially sedentarized African Pygmies and neighbouring Bantu farmers living in the equatorial rain forest of Eastern Cameroon. DESIGN: Serum assays for hormonal and immune status were conducted for individuals (children, adolescents, young and old adults) showing no overt clinical nor biochemical signs of malnutrition, as judged from anthropometry, clinical examinations and serum assays of albumin, pre-albumin, retinol-binding protein, transferrin, iron, zinc, magnesium and calcium. RESULTS: African Pygmies did not differ from Europeans or Bantus in mean serum IGF-I concentrations, nor in the relationship between serum IGF-I and its major binding protein (IGFBP-3). However, although in both African groups the immunoglobulins IgG, IgM and IgE as well as the C-reactive protein and ceruloplasmin were above the normal range of European references, the Pygmies differed from their Bantu neighbours in their much higher IgG and IgM serum levels. A plot of serum IGF-I against these immunoglobulins in Pygmies revealed a reverse sigmoidal relationship, with the low IGF-I values associated with serum levels of IgG and IgM which clearly exceeded those found in the Bantus. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that in growing and adult African Pygmies showing no clinical nor biochemical signs of nutritional deficiency, serum IGF-I and IGFBP-3 (hence IGF-I bioavailability to its receptors) are essentially normal, and that low circulating levels of IGF-I in Pygmies reside in differential exposure and/or responsiveness to environmental challenge (e.g. infections) rather than in an inherited defect in the systemic growth-hormone (GH)-IGF-I axis.

Adolescent↗

Clinical characteristics and treatment responses in cases diagnosed as reactive attachment disorder.

The aim of our study is to report the relation between pathological care and impairment in social interaction, communication, language development, and stereotypical behaviors. Fifteen cases (9 boys, 6 girls) who have the symptoms listed above and who were misdiagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), were referred to our clinic for evaluation and treatment. After the cases were evaluated by a semi-structured interview, symptoms related to pathological care were fortified; maternal depressive symptoms associated with child neglect and overexposure to television viewing. The cases and the mothers/primary caretakers were treated in a standardized psycho-educational program of 3 months. After this period improvements were observed in all of the symptom clusters. Twelve cases (80%) had improvements in eye contact. Eleven cases (73.3%) began to engage in reciprocal play and ten cases (66.6%) showed social imitative behaviors. Six cases (40%) began to form sentences. Stereotypic behaviors diminished in six cases (40%) and disappeared in nine cases (60%). According to our findings, although the symptoms of PDD and reactive attachment disorder (RAD) resemble each other, presence of pathological care and good response to treatment in RAD can be important for the differential diagnosis with PDD.

Child Abuse↗

Reactive Attachment Disorder: what we know about the disorder and implications for treatment.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of children diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). There is considerable disagreement about what this entity actually entails and, in particular, what types of assessments and interventions to use with these children and families. Children with a history of maltreatment (i.e., physical, sexual, emotional abuse, and/or severe neglect) are particularly likely to receive this diagnosis, because the behavior problems often seen in these children are presumed to stem from the maladaptive relationships they have had with abusive caregivers. However, many children are receiving this diagnosis because of behavior problems that clearly extend beyond the DSM-IV criteria for RAD. Perhaps the most concerning consequence of the RAD diagnosis is the emergence of novel treatments that lack a sound theoretical basis or empirical support, and may potentially be traumatizing and dangerous to the child. Thus, the purpose of this article is to review and synthesize what is known about RAD and attachment disorders and to discuss implications for treatment.

Behavior Therapy↗

Reactive and proactive aggression in children--a review of theory, findings and the relevance for child and adolescent psychiatry.

The clinical population of aggressive children diagnosed as having an oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) or a conduct disorder (CD) is heterogeneous, both with respect to behaviour and aetiology. Recently, the following distinction has been proposed that might further clarify this heterogeneity: reactive aggression is an aggressive response to a perceived threat or provocation, whereas proactive aggression is defined as behaviour that anticipates a reward. In this article we examine various aspects of this distinction. We will [1] examine the evidence that reactive and proactive aggression are distinct phenomena by discussing the theories underlying the distinction between the subtypes in humans and we briefly review evidence for a similar distinction in animals; [2] we critically review the literature on the measurement in children via questionnaires and behavioural observations; we then point out that the correlation observed between the subtypes is due to the fact that many children show both types of aggression; [3] we review the literature on specific characteristics of the subtypes giving attention to social information processing, peer status, biological correlates and developmental history, and demonstrate that there is some evidence to suggest that reactive and proactive aggression are distinct dimensions; [4] we discuss the relevance of the distinction between reactive and proactive aggression for child and adolescent psychiatry.

Adolescent↗

Posttraumatic stress disorder among Cuban children and adolescents after release from a refugee camp.

OBJECTIVE: The authors compared self-reported symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a cohort of Cuban children and adolescents with assessments of internalizing and externalizing behaviors by the children's teachers. METHODS: Eighty-seven children and adolescents who had left Cuba by sea in the summer of 1994 and who had been confined to refugee camps for up to eight months before arriving in the United States were evaluated four to six months later. Self-reported symptoms of PTSD were assessed with the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Reactive Index, and internalizing and externalizing behaviors were assessed with the Child Behavioral Check List-Teacher Report Form. RESULTS: A majority of the children reported moderate to severe PTSD symptoms. The most common symptom clusters were avoidance (67 percent), regressive behaviors (64 percent), reexperiencing the traumatic events (60 percent), somatic symptoms (52 percent), and hyperarousal (51 percent). Eighty-six percent of the children reported that the refugee experience had severely affected most of their peers. A statistically significant dose-effect relationship was found between the number of stressors and the severity of self-reported PTSD symptoms. There was a modest relationship between withdrawn behavior and children's feelings that they would die at sea and witnessing violence at the camps. Age and witnessing violence in the camps were moderately associated with PTSD. Teachers' overall ratings of externalizing and internalizing behaviors did not produce any clinically significant findings. CONCLUSIONS: PTSD symptoms among refugee children and adolescents who have been exposed to multiple and prolonged stressors may continue unabated after the stressors are removed. The symptoms are experienced subjectively and may go unnoticed by adults.

Adolescent↗

An update on clonality, cytokines, and viral etiology in Langerhans cell histiocytosis.

Many etiologies have been proposed for Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). Recent scientific studies have clearly provided new insights into the etiology and pathogenesis of the disease. The possible role of viruses has not been completely negated, but no viral genomes have been consistently detected in LCH lesions. Other studies do not indicate that LCH arises from a primary defect in the immune system, although altered immune responses and immune dysfunction may play a role in the pathophysiology of the disease. Definitive results have been gained from molecular studies of clonality, however. These have definitively established that LCH is a clonal histiocytic disease rather than a reactive polyclonal disorder.

Child↗

Behavioral and personality characteristics of children with reactive attachment disorder.

The authors compared behavioral and personality characteristics of children with reactive attachment disorder (RAD) with non-RAD children. Participants included parents of children with RAD (n = 21), parents of non-RAD children (n = 21), and some of the children (n = 20). The parents completed questionnaires regarding behavioral and personality characteristics of their children. Parents were also given the option of asking their children to participate in the study by completing self-report measures. Several significant findings were obtained. Children with RAD scored lower on empathy but higher on self-monitoring than non-RAD children. These differences were especially pronounced based on parent ratings and suggest that children with RAD may systematically report their personality traits in overly positive ways. Their scores also indicated considerably more behavioral problems than scores of the control children. Previous research has been generally qualitative in nature. The current research represents some of the first quantitative, empirical work documenting specific behaviors associated with the diagnosis of RAD. The findings of this study have implications for better understanding and dealing with reactive attachment disorder.

Adolescent↗

Can inattention/overactivity be an institutional deprivation syndrome?

Elevated rates of attention deficit and overactivity have been noted previously in samples of institution-reared children. This study examined the hypothesis that inattention/overactivity(I/O) might constitute a specific deprivation syndrome. One hundred and sixty five children adopted at varying ages (e.g., 0-42 months of age) into the UK following severe early deprivation were compared with 52 within-UK adoptees who did not suffer deprivation. The children were rated by teachers and parents on levels of I/O, conduct difficulties, and emotional difficulties using the Revised Rutter Scales. Data were collected at age 6 for the entire sample and at age 4 for the UK adoptees and for the subsample of Romanian children who entered the UK before the age of 2 years. Mean level analyses suggested a significant effect of duration of deprivation on I/O, but not on conduct or emotional difficulties. The effects of duration of deprivation were specific to I/O and were not accounted for by low birth weight, malnutrition, or cognitive impairment. Levels of I/O correlated with attachment disturbances. Furthermore, the effects of duration of deprivation on I/O did not attenuate over time. We conclude that I/O may well constitute an institutional deprivation syndrome, but that the type of attention deficit and overactivity exhibited by these children may present a different clinical picture from that of "ordinary" varieties of attention deficit disorder or hyperkinetic syndrome.

Adoption↗

Intestinal pseudo-obstruction and acute pandysautonomia associated with Epstein-Barr virus infection.

We report the association of neurological and intestinal disorders with the reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in a child. This previously healthy 13-yr-old boy presented with pharyngitis and acute abdominal ileus. Laparotomy excluded a mechanical obstruction. Postoperatively, he suffered from prolonged intestinal obstruction, pandysautonomia, and encephalomyelitis. Histological examination of the appendix and a rectal biopsy taken 3 months after the onset showed an absence of ganglion cells (appendix) and hypoganglionosis (rectum), with a mononucleate inflammatory infiltrate in close contact with the myenteric neural plexuses. EBV-PCR was positive in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid, and in situ hybridization with the Epstein-Barr virus encoded RNA probe showed positive cells throughout the appendix wall including the myenteric area, in a mesenteric lymph node, and in the gastric biopsies. EBV spontaneous lymphocytic proliferation was noted in the blood. The serology for EBV showed previous infection but anti-early antigen antibodies were present. No immunodeficiency was found. Neurological and GI recovery occurred after 6 months of parenteral nutrition and bethanechol. The omnipresence of EBV associated with the neurointestinal symptoms suggest that the virus was the causal agent. This is the first documented case of acquired hypoganglionnosis due to EBV reactivation.

Acute Disease↗

Mother-infant and father-infant attachment among alcoholic families.

This study examined the association between fathers' alcoholism and other risk factors such as parental depression, family conflict, infant temperament, and parent-infant attachment. The quality of parent-infant interactions was hypothesized to be a proximal mediator of the associations among alcoholism and other risk factors and attachment. The participants were 223 families (104 nonalcoholic families and 119 alcoholic families) with 12-month-old infants recruited through birth records. Infants in families with two parents with alcohol problem had significantly higher rates of insecure attachment with both parents. Structural Equations Modeling indicated that the fathers' alcohol problem was associated with lower paternal sensitivity (higher negative affect, lower positive engagement, and lower sensitive responding) during father-infant play interactions, and this in tum was associated with higher risk for infant attachment insecurity with fathers. The association between the fathers' alcohol problem and infant attachment security with the mother was mediated by matemal depression, and matemal alcohol problems and family conflict were associated with maternal sensitivity during play interactions. These results indicate that the fathers' alcoholism is associated with higher family risk including the quality of the parent-infant relationship; infant attachment develops in a family context; and this context has a significant association with attachment security.

Adult↗