THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTACHMENT, PSYCHOPATHOLOGY, AND CHILDHOOD DISABILITY

The literature concerning three aspects of attachment (neurobiological influences, interpersonal and intrapersonal factors, and societal factors) in the psychological development of children with chronic disease and disability is reviewed. The literature suggests that these three attachment processes are reciprocally interactive, complicated by aspects of childhood disability, and potentially related to the development of emotional maladjustment. An understanding of attachment processes may have important implications for facilitating adjustment in the young child and ameliorating psychopathology in the adolescent and adult with a disability.