Secure
Sensitive Loving caregiver
Caregiver response:
Children whose caregivers consistently respond to their distress with sensitivity or “affection”.
Child behavior:
The child's strategy for coping with distress is “organized.” It is organized because the child “knows” exactly what to do with a responsive caregiver: approach the caregiver when feeling distressed. The child seeks closeness with the caregiver and maintains contact until feeling safe. The child feels safe knowing that they can freely express their negative emotions, which allows them to receive comfort from their caregiver.
Avoidant
Insensitive Rejecting caregiver
Caregiver response:
Children whose caregivers consistently respond to their distress in an insensitive or “rejecting” manner.
Child behavior:
The strategy for coping with distress is “organized.” It is organized because the child “knows” exactly what to do when faced with a caregiver who rejects them: avoid the caregiver when in need. The child avoids the caregiver when feeling distressed and minimizes the expression of negative emotions in the caregiver’s presence.
Resistant
Insensitive Inconsistent caregiver
Caregiver response:
Children whose caregivers respond inconsistently, unpredictably, and/or in an “uninvolved” manner.
Child behavior:
The strategy for coping with distress is “organized.” It is organized because the child “knows” exactly what to do when faced with a caregiver who responds inconsistently: to exaggerate displays of distress and reactions of anger and resistance, “in the hope” that such a marked distress response will not go unnoticed by the inconsistent caregiver. They display extreme negative emotions to get their caregiver’s attention, whose response is inconsistent.
Disorganized
Atypical behaviors in caregivers
Caregiver response:
Children whose caregivers respond with atypical behavior described as “terrifying, frightened, dissociative, sexualized, or otherwise atypical". Children’s exposure to specific forms of distorted parenting and unusual caregiver behaviours that are atypical.
Caregivers who exhibit atypical behaviors often have a history of unresolved grief or unresolved emotional, physical, or sexual trauma, or are suffering from some other type of trauma (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder or being a victim of domestic violence).
This abnormal behaviors exhibited by caregivers during interactions with their children are not limited to moments when the child is distressed.
Child behavior:
They do not use any of the three organized strategies for dealing with stress and negative emotion.
ATTACHMENT DISORDERS
Attachment Disorders are psychiatric illnesses that can develop in young children who have problems in emotional attachments to others.
RAD
Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)
Children with RAD are less likely to interact with other people because of negative experiences with adults in their early years. They have difficulty calming down when stressed and do not look for comfort from their caregivers when they are upset. These children may seem to have little to no emotions when interacting with others. They may appear unhappy, irritable, sad, or scared while having normal activities with their caretaker.
DSED
Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED)
Children with DSED do not appear fearful when meeting someone for the first time. They may be overly friendly, walk up to strangers to talk or even hug them. Younger children may allow strangers to pick them up, feed them, or give them toys to play with. When these children are put in a stranger situation, they do not check with their parents or caregivers, and will often go with someone they do not know.
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