Attachment 3

Attachment 3

1. DIsruption (CONTINUED)

   • Key Study-Robertson and Robertson-John
     • John (aged 17 months) was put into a residential nursury for 9 days while his mother had a second child in hospital. His father was at work all day, was no relatives nearby to look after him. 4of the 5 other children at the nursury had been there almost all of their lives. They were demanding, noisy and aggressive. John was a quiet loving child.
       • He seemed troubled by the noise and fighting going on around him, and tried to approach the nurses or some attention. They had to spend most of their time with the more demanding children, and John was left out. Even when he managed to obtain their attention they soon had to put him down to tend to one of the others. John's protests and anger were ignored. After some days his distress worsened. He started to cry pitifully, for long periods of time.
         • This distress lasted for several days. The nurses gave John all the attention they could, but it was nowhere near enough. He began to refuse food and he wouldn't sleep. With each day that passed John's condition worsened. His cries of distress became huge sobs of despair.
           • As the separation neared its end, Johns behaviour changed again. He stopped trying to be near the nurses. Instead he would play with whatever toy he could, particularly a large cuddle toy. He began ti ignore his father on his night visits. John slowly became emotinally detached. When his mother finally came he didn't seem to want to know her. He wouldn't go to her, wouldn't look at her, and resisted her attempts to comfort him. John had started by being a loving and seeking companionship. Over the nine days separation he changed to being distressed, despairing and finally to appearing emotionally detached.
             • Why did this happen?
               • The Robertson's suggest that children who are separated from their mothers for several days will pass through the same sequence of behaviour as John. They call it the syndrome of distress. The child becomes distressed, then despairing, and then, if not attended to, the child will become emotionally detached.
                 • However Robertson's are not saying that babies or children must always be near their mothers. What children do need is fairly continuous, high quality care. They should have this from their caregivers. If they have to be separated from their main caregivers. If they have to be separated from their main caregiver, and then continued high quality care provided by someone else can help them through separation.
   • The effects of longer term disruption is separation anxiety. This is the fear that separation from an attachment figure will occur again in the future, and it may manifest itself in a number of ways. One characterisitc of separation anxiety is extreme clinginess. This is when there is an attempt to leave the child but the child clings onto caregiver (nursery) Another characteristic of separation anxiety is detachment. This is when a child refuses to be hugged or show affection towards the caregiver.
   • What factors may affect the child's response to separation?
     • The age of the child: response to short separation is strongest between the ages of about 12 and 18 months.
     • The type of attachment (secure/insecure): securely attached child is more likely to cope better with short separations than a child with an insecure ambivalent attachment type. This may be because of their belief that the mother figure will return
     • The sex of the child: boys seem to respond more strongly to separation than girls although there are wide differences within as well as between sexes.
     • Whom the child is left with-quality of care: Many children older than about ten months have multiple attachments. If the child is left with another attachment figure such as a grandparent, the effects may be minimal
     • Previous experience of separation: child who has brief separations such as being left at playgroup or with grandparents is likely to respond less strongly than the child who is very rarely separated from their attachment figure.

2. Day Care

   • Definations
     • Nursery based care: Are staffed by trained workers, may be attached to a primary school and often benefit from use of school facilities.
     • Family based care: Childminders is where a child receives care in the childminder's house rather than their own. Childminder normally has children of their own. A nanny is an employee who looks after the child in the child's own home-likely to be with siblings. Informal arrangements is where childcare is by relatives or neighbours-often unpaid, receive little systematic research.
     • Social development: How a child can interact in their environment. The child's behaviour in relation to to other people includes both aggression and peer relationships.
     • Peer relationships: Ability to interact with others, make firends and play co-operatively (share), how well they get on with other children.
     • Aggression: Behaviour towards others, type of activities they choose to play, aggressive acts e.g. hitting, pushing, shoving.
   • The effects of day care on children's social development-aggression
     • Research which has found that children in day care are aggressive: Baker et al (2005)
       • Following introduction of day care for all Quebec, the proportion of 0 to 4 year olds in day care rose by 14%, and the number of married women returning to work also increased. Baker et al analysed data on 33,000 children of two parent families.
         • In the period after day care became widely available, aggression among 2 to 4 years increased by 24% in Quebec, compared to 1% in the rest of Canada. The well being of parents also declined, with a greater incidence of hostile parenting and dissatisfaction with spouses.
           • Conclusion: Day care increases aggressive behaviour
             • Evaluation
               • Relations between parents, and parents attitudes also changed. This means that it is difficult to know whether the day care itself directly caused aggressiveness in the children, or whether this was at least partly caused by the different adult behaviours at home.
     • Research which has found that children in day care are less aggressive (or that day-care makes no difference to levels of aggression) Shea et al (1981)
       • Shea video-taped 3 and 4 year old children at playtime dueing their first 10 weeks at nursury school
         • Children became more sociable the longer they were at nursury. The amount of aggressive behaviour towards one another decreased. These changes were greater in children attending for 5 days a week, compsred to those attending for just 2 days a week
           • Day care can increase sociality and decrease aggressive behaviour.
             • Evaluation
               • The fact that aggression reduced more in children attending for 5 days a week rather than 2 days a week, suggests that it was the day care that caused this effect rather than children maturing.
   • Research into the effects of day-care on children's peer relationships
     • Research which has found that day care has a postive effect on peer relationships (Shea 1981)
       • Shea video-taped 3 and 4 year old children at playtime during their first 10 weeks at nursery school
         • Children became more sociable the longer they were in day care. They stood closer together and engaged in more rough and tumble play, and moved further away from teachers.
           • Being in day care helps social development and improves peer relations.
             • Evaluation
               • A well structured observation, looking at measurable behaviour (distance, frequency of interaction).
     • Research whch has found that day care has a negative effect on peer relationships DiLalla (1988)
       • Carried out a correlational study into time soent in day care and pro social behaviour.
         • DiLalla found a negative correlation between the amount of time spent in day care and pro social behaviour: Children who spent more time in day care were less co-operative and helpful in their dealings with other chidlren.
           • Day care can harm peer relations
             • Evaluation
               • Useful evaluative point for contrasting with studies which found a more positive outcome
   • Implications of research into attachment
     • Research by the Robertson's found that the negative effects of day care can be avoided if substitute emotional care is provided as well as links with existng attachment figures. This research has led to major changes in the visiting arrangements for parents with children in hospital and in forster care; visiting is more facilitated and encouraged.
     • Adoption processes have been changed due to research into attachnment. In the past mothers who were giving thier baby up for adoption were encouraged to nurse their baby for a significant amount of time and the sensitive period for attachment formation may have passed. Bowlby's research which identified sensitive periods (before 6 months) for attachment has led to changes; today most babies are adopted within the first week of birth and research shows that adoptive mothers ad children are just as securely attached as non adoptive families.
   • Implications of research into day care
     • low child to staff ratios: The NICHD study found that its day care staff could provide sensitive care to small children with child ratio of 3:1. This recommendation has been adopted by day care providers.
     • Minimal staff turnover: Schaffer argued that consistency of care is the most important factor in day care as failing to form a bond or breaking the bond can be detrimental. The implications of this is that day care providers will now identify a key worker to children and aim to limit staff movement.
     • Quality of care: Sylva found that the higher qualifications of staff in day care is directly associated with improvements in the social development of children. A s a result day care nurseries and aiming to put their staff through these qualifications and this is having positive implications for day care.
   • Implications of research for improving day care provision
     • Attachment research has found that separation is stressful for a child. Day care providers can minimise the distress by gradually getting children to come to day care. For example come with parent first couple of days.
       • Attachment research suggests that the day care environment should provide the child with a secure and warm attachment. Could do this by having a key worker which is someone who connects with the child and can take care of them.
         • Research tells us that the characteristics of good quality care is good interactions between the child and staff, an appropriate curriculum, appropriate caregiver/ children ratio, appropriate staff training and low staff turnover.