Attachment representations among school-age children with intellectual disability
Stéphanie Vanwalleghem1, Raphaële Miljkovitch2, Annie Vinter3
1Unité de Recherche CLIPSYD, Université Paris Nanterre, 200 avenue de la Liberté, 92001, Nanterre, France.
Research in Developmental Disabilities
|August 23, 2021
Summary
Children with intellectual disability (ID) show less secure and more disorganized attachment in late childhood. Attachment disorganization is linked to adaptive functioning, but not to specific genetic syndromes like Down syndrome.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Infancy and early childhood research indicates a high risk of insecure and disorganized attachment in children with intellectual disability (ID).
- This raises questions about the bidirectional influences between intellectual disability and attachment patterns in later childhood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate attachment patterns in school-age children with ID.
- To determine if attachment varies based on intellectual functioning, adaptive functioning, and the presence of genetic syndromes, specifically Down syndrome.
Main Methods:
- Attachment was assessed in 54 children with ID (aged 8-12 years; 30 with Down Syndrome, 24 with non-specific ID) using the Attachment Story Completion Task.
- These children were compared to 108 typically developing children, matched for chronological age (n=54) and mental age (n=54).
Main Results:
- Children with ID exhibited lower security and higher disorganization in attachment compared to same-age controls.
- Attachment disorganization was correlated with lower adaptive functioning in children with ID.
- No significant differences in attachment were found between children with Down syndrome and those with non-specific ID.
Conclusions:
- Children with intellectual disability continue to be at risk for disorganized attachment representations in late childhood.
- Further research is necessary to elucidate the underlying factors contributing to disorganized attachment in this population.
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