Slump: The Importance Of Affection In Early Childhood
The bonds of affection and attachment are necessary for the good development of the baby. The separation of attachment figures can thus be devastating and lead to stagnation.
René Spitz has studied psychological disorders in children placed in institutions or hospitalized and therefore separated from their mother. He found that in the most severe cases, the doldrums lead to death.
John Bowlby has studied how this bond between mother and baby is formed. Mary Ainsworth has described the different models of attachment. In this article, we review their work and Spitz’s findings.
Attachment: definition, importance and models
Attachment is a strong emotional bond established between the child and the attachment figure (usually the mother), which prompts them to stay together. It is important to promote the exploration of the environment, to facilitate learning and to promote good physical and mental development.
John Bowlby has studied how the attachment bond is formed and the stages of its development. It is not until stage 3, starting at 7 months, that the attachment itself is formed, and separation anxiety and stranger anxiety begin to appear.
During the previous two stages, the child may have a preference for one or the other caregivers, but does not protest the separation.
Mary Ainsworth devised a lab situation, called the Strange Situation, which allowed for a controlled study of the gaps between children and their attachment figures. By observing the behavior of children in the face of separation and reunion, she was able to describe three patterns of attachment:
- group A: non-secure avoidant / rejecting / elusive attachment
- group B: secure fixation
- and group C: unsecured fixation of ambivalent / resistant type
These attachment patterns are considered universal and appear in different cultures. Later, a fourth type of attachment was identified, the disorganized / disoriented attachment (group D).
Separation from attachment figures: short-term effects
The separation of the child from the attachment figures before his 6 months does not seem to pose as much difficulty, the attachment is not yet fully established. In contrast, between the ages of 6 months and 2 years, children are particularly vulnerable to separation anxiety.
Bowlby has studied the effects of short-term separation, as well as the evolution of symptoms of anxiety-depression. He described three phases:
- Protest phase
- It lasts between an hour and a week and begins when the child realizes that he is alone. It is characterized by behaviors of active struggle to find the figure of attachment, call signs (crying, screaming…) and refusal of help. In the event of a reunion, attachment behaviors intensify.
- Ambivalence or despair phase
- The child exhibits increased anxiety and hopelessness and may exhibit regressive behaviors. Before the reunion, he may act with disinterest, even hostility.
- Adaptation phase
- The child adapts to the new situation and may be able to form new bonds with the new caregivers.
The effects of long-term separation: anaclitic depression, hospitalism and marasmus
In cases where the child fails to adjust to the loss, serious consequences can occur, such as intellectual retardation, problems with socialization and even death. Spitz found that early separation from the mother could cause different psychogenic illnesses.
His studies are based on the direct observation of children placed in institutions or children hospitalized for long periods. He also compared the development of children raised in institutions and children raised in women’s prisons with their mothers.
Anaclitic depression is a type of depression caused by partial emotional deprivation between 3 and 5 months. The symptoms can disappear a few months after the resumption of the emotional relationship with the mother, with her attachment figure, or when the child is adopted and then forms new bonds.
This depression is also known under the name of hospital syndrome, because it has been observed in children who had been abandoned at the gates of an institution that could take care of them (hospital, orphanage, convent, etc.).
The term hospitalism is then used to describe deep physical and psychological disorders in children abandoned or hospitalized for a long time.
In this environment and under these conditions, depressive symptoms are often chronic and cognitive and social problems develop. Among the most important modifications described by Spitz are:
- Delay in development of the body.
- Manual capacity delay.
- Less use of language.
- Low resistance to disease.
In the event that the emotional deprivation is total, the course can lead to stagnation and the death of the child. The affected children are extremely thin and suffer from nutritional and emotional deficits.
Why can doldrums cause death?
Marasmus, in its medical sense, is a type of extreme malnutrition, which occurs before 18 months of age when the mother stops feeding the baby. The nutritional deficit is so severe that it can lead to death if not treated in time and the associated complications are not resolved.
However, nutritional deficiency is not the only cause: the complete lack of affection in babies could also cause doldrums. This particularly concerns children placed in institutions who have no possibility of bonding.
Crying, restlessness, hopelessness, and other developmental delays are eventually replaced by interrupted crying, blank stare, unresponsiveness to the environment, long periods of sleep, and complete loss of life. ‘appetite. It is as if the children are gradually disappearing.
Thanks to Spitz’s studies, a reform was made in the conditions of hospitalization and institutionalization of children. Her work has shown that although children in institutional care have their food needs covered, there are other equally important needs that, neglected or not covered, become an obstacle to their development.
Our thoughts Some children, when they see that their parents or guardians do not meet their basic needs, develop a reactive attention disorder …
