Attachment Disorder

Attachment is defined as an affectional bond that ties a child to significant individuals in his or her life and endures over time. All infants raised in homes with at least one consistent parental figure grow in their emotional connection over the course of the first year of life and thus become attached. If an infant is being raised by several individuals (e.g., mother, father, grandmother, or child care professional), the infant then is in a multiple caregiving situation and will likely form an attachment with each of these important individuals, an attachment that reflects the unique quality of each of these relationships.

Although attachment disorder has no clear definition, it is generally defined as a failure to develop or to show a selective attachment toward ...