Childhood Attachment Disorders And Its Effects On The...

Insecure attachments in childhood can have a profound impact on the developing brain, which in turn affects an individual’s relationships, self-esteem, and self-regulation. Substance use disorders are a common response to unresolved childhood pain which is perpetuated by the inability to self-soothe and regulate one’s emotions. Those with undiagnosed attachment disorders can exhibit misguided attempts at protecting oneself through the use of substances. Studies with children suggest that reactive attachment disorder (RAD) is associated with pathogenic early care. Research is limited regarding the effects of unresolved attached disorders and adversity in adulthood (Minnis, Flemming, Cooper, 2010). Recognizing and treating substance†¦show more content†¦A mother’s ability to attune, regulate, and respond to an infant has considerable developmental and interpersonal consequences (Bowlby 1988; Shapiro 2012). Repeated proximity-seeking behaviors with prim ary caregivers lay the foundation for individual strategies that assist in the regulation of emotions and the ability to form intimate bonds (Marmarosh Tasca, 2013). One’s experiences early on in life create the foundation from which we form our perceptions of self and others, and are associated with the development of neural pathways in the brain that control responses to stress (Marmarosh Tasca, 2013), and influence future relationships and attachments in adulthood (Snyder, Shapiro, Treleaven, 2012). Attachment theory, first theorized by Bowlby in the late 1960s, has seen resurgence in recent years (De Rick, Vanheule, Verhaeghe, 2009). Significant aspects of attachment theory have reinforced the idea that the relationship between the infant and the primary caregiver has influential effects on intimacy later in life (De Rick et al., 2009). In a study conducted by Ann De Rick, Stijn Vanheule, Ph.D., and Paul Verhaeghe (2009), alcoholic individuals in an inpatient treatment setting with an impaired attachment system were observed. According De Rick, et al. (2009), the individuals were clearly shut down from others with the