July 16th, 2020

In a recent study carried out by the Sutton Trust, it was found that among the 14,000 US children that took part in the study, 40% did not possess a strong and secure attachment with their parental figures. Secure attachment has been shown to develop from the simple act of a parent paying attention to the needs of their child, thereby allowing for a nurturing and loving relationship to be created between the parent and child. These relationships help the child to be able to better manage their own emotions and are used as the template from which the child learns and develops cognitively, emotionally and socially. Children with secure attachments are less likely to be depressed, to exhibit behavioral problems such as aggression, and to display defiance and hyperactivity. This is because at a young age, if a child cries and receives a response from their parents, they learn their needs will be met. Oppositely, children who don’t receive such responses begin to think of the world as an unsafe place and tend to exhibit defensive behaviors to combat their such as closing themselves off from the world or acting out in school.


By: Shilpa Jujjavarapu
Source: http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/03/28/many-u-s-kids-lack-secure-attachment-face-future-hurdles/67753.html