A Developmental Survey of Young Children's Attachments to Inanimate Objects

Passman, Richard H.; Halonen, Jane S.

doi:10.1080/00221325.1979.10534051

Cited by 51 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…3 The second limitation to existing research is that previous studies have relied on cross-sectional designs to infer what occurs across age. [13][14][15][16] There are no longitudinal studies of object use at night.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…14 Age seems to be a significant factor in determining both the likelihood of a child's attachment to a special object as well as the type of object that is used. [13][14][15] Two studies have looked at cross-cultural patterns of sleep aid use. One investigation comparing American and Korean children reported that pacifier use is most common among infants under 6 months of age, whereas soft objects are used most often by older infants and preschoolers, regardless of cultural origin.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Use of Sleep Aids During the First Year of Life

et al. 2002

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Objective.-In an attempt to foster self-soothing during the night, a novel sleep aid infused with maternal odor was introduced to 4 groups of infants ranging in age from 3 to 12 months. Infants' use of parent-provided sleep aids also was examined.Methodology.-Nighttime sleep and waking behaviors were videotaped for 2 consecutive nights on 3 occasions over a 3-month interval. Using all-night video recording, the study examined the infant's use of a novel sleep aid and parent-provided sleep aids during sleep onset and after nighttime awakenings.Results.-Results indicated that infants of different ages differed in the types of sleep aids used when falling asleep either at the beginning of the night or after awakenings in the middle of the night. More 3-month-olds used their thumbs/fingers/hands, whereas more 6-month-olds used soft objects. The 6-month-olds were most likely to use the novel sleep aid. Almost all of the infants at all 4 ages used some type of object during the night. Intra-individual analyses showed that infants tended to change their pattern of sleep aid use over the 3-month study period.Conclusions.-The data provide evidence that infants during the first year of life use sleep aids frequently and interchangeably rather than a specific favorite object.Parents of infants and young children regularly consult their pediatricians about how to get their child to fall asleep at the beginning of the night or how to get their child back to sleep after a middle-of-the-night awakening. Prevalence rates for these types of sleep disturbances have been reported to be as high as 20% to 30% for 1-and 2-year-olds.

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confidence: 99%

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Use of Sleep Aids During the First Year of Life

et al. 2002

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“…However, more than 25% of 3.5-7-yearolds continued to have a moderate attachment to soft objects (Mahalski, 1983). On the other hand, attachment to hard objects such as toys and bottles appeared to be low in intensity and less likely to change than the attachment to soft objects did (Passman & Halonen, 1979). The use of comfort objects was common in adolescence too as Erkolahti and Nyström (2009) reported that 29% of the 14 -15-year-olds had such objects, with girls having significantly more soft objects than boys who preferred hard toys.…”

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confidence: 73%

“…Attachment to comfort objects begins as early as the first three months of a child's life (Passman & Halonen, 1979). Passman (1987) reported that 60% of 18-month-old American children displayed mild blanket attachment, and 32% were considered to have a strong blanket attachment.…”

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confidence: 99%

Sensory processing relates to attachment to childhood comfort objects of college students

Kalpidou

2012

Early Child Development and Care

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The author tested the hypothesis that attachment to comfort objects is based on the sensory processing characteristics of the individual. Fifty-two undergraduate students with and without a childhood comfort object reported sensory responses and performed a tactile threshold task. Those with a comfort object described their object and rated their attachment to it. Participants with a strong attachment liked the texture of their comfort object and sleeping with it. Smell sensitivity in childhood, seeking out tactile stimulation as children, and tactile threshold predicted the intensity of object attachment. Participants with comfort objects showed a higher tactile threshold and reported seeking out more tactile stimulation as children than participants without a comfort object did. These findings suggest that children with an object attachment seek out more sensory stimulation through touch, which in turn is soothing. Results support growing research linking sensory processing to psychological functioning.

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“…Transitional objects are effective soothers for children (bush, 1987;Darbyshire, 1985a,b), and can help to bridge the gap in attachment security to caregivers when a child is separated from them. Nurses in paediatric wards report feeling that children admitted should be allowed to bring their security objects, as it makes their experience in the hospital less stressful and more bearable (Halonen and Passman, 1978;Passman and Halonen, 1979).…”

Section: Child Psychosocial Supportmentioning

confidence: 98%

Improving hospital care for young children in the context of HIV/AIDS and poverty

Richter

Chandan

Rochat

2009

J Child Health Care

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Paediatric wards in South African government hospitals are occupied predominantly by children with HIV and AIDS-related illnesses. Although access to anti-retroviral treatment for adults is being scaled up, it is likely to be many years before South Africa achieves anywhere near universal access for children. Currently, most children living with HIV or AIDS are identified only when they become acutely or chronically ill and/or hospitalized, if at all. In the absence of treatment, the stress of caring for ill and hospitalized HIV-positive children often results in emotional withdrawal among both health professionals and caregivers. The demoralizing cycle of repeated admissions, treatment failure and death also affect the quality of the care given to HIV-negative children in over-burdened wards. This article describes the development of simple, low-cost and context-relevant interventions to improve the care environment for young hospitalized children within the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and poverty.

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A Developmental Survey of Young Children's Attachments to Inanimate Objects

Cited by 51 publications

References 18 publications

Use of Sleep Aids During the First Year of Life

Use of Sleep Aids During the First Year of Life

Sensory processing relates to attachment to childhood comfort objects of college students

Improving hospital care for young children in the context of HIV/AIDS and poverty

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