Childhood Trauma and Attachment

Abstract

This article describes the relationship between trauma in early childhood and attachment style, with the goal that clinicians can more effectively tailor individualized interventions to their clients. Recognizing how and why trauma influences attachment styles will provide the clinician with a more thorough understanding of the client and the client’s family system and will allow the clinician to select the most appropriate treatment interventions. Implications are provided for marriage, relationship, and family counselors. Furthermore, recommendations for future research are provided.

Family and Systems Theory in Counselor Education: A PRISMA Systematic Review

“…Some articles identified by the primary theme of Cybernetics directly reference the intersection of various forces as creating the interaction effect, such as with family of origin and career impact (Barclay et al, 2011; Dipeolu et al, 2020; Fider et al, 2014; Johnson et al, 2014; Lustig & Xu, 2018; Maddy et al, 2015; Makhija et al, 2019; McAdams et al, 2018; Porter & Henriksen, 2016; Waliski et al, 2012; Wright et al, 2020), family of origin and symptom development and treatment (Buser et al, 2014; Haiyasoso & Trepal, 2019; Lampis et al, 2020; Noble & Bradley, 2019; Noble et al, 2017; Wang et al, 2016; Watts et al, 2020; Williams et al, 2016), familial dynamics and spiritual development (Hooper & Newman, 2011; Jankowski & Hooper, 2014; Muselman & Wiggins, 2012), familial dynamics and developmental outcomes (Fish & Priest, 2011; Gold, 2013; He, 2017; Hoekstra & Katz, 2021; Kataoka & Tsuchiya, 2020; Lenz & Oliver, 2018; Li et al, 2018; Messina et al, 2018; Wilkinson & Dewell, 2019), and attachment development and impact (Bernardon & Pernice-Duca, 2012; Coffman & Swank, 2021; Myrick et al, 2014; Toof et al, 2020; Willcox et al, 2019). Others allude to cybernetics indirectly such as with physical disability and substance abuse (Feather et al, 2018), as well as other contextual factors like incarceration (Tadros, 2021; Tadros & Finney, 2018).…”

“…After the posthoc analysis of articles discovered in TFJ , attachment was added as a third secondary theme to further nuance and specify cybernetic awareness, conceptualization, and treatment recommendations. Articles within this theme inspected the impact of familial attachment as it relates to cohesion and symptom development (Myrick et al, 2014; Wang et al, 2016;), addiction-related disorders and symptom development (Bernardon & Pernice-Duca, 2012; Coffman & Swank, 2021), and overcoming traumatic experience and fostering posttraumatic growth and resilience (Toof et al, 2020; Willcox et al, 2019).…”

Low Treatment Fidelity as an Indication to Switch Interventions: Pivoting From Child-Parent Psychotherapy to Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Early Childhood Trauma

“…In fact, before age 6, children who live in poverty may have already experienced three or more traumatic events, including abuse, physical or emotional neglect, and witnessing substance abuse or domestic violence (Neitzel, 2020). Child emotional health and development is interrupted when a traumatic event occurs, placing the child at risk for future mental and physical health problems (Toof et al, 2020).…”

Shame in Family Systems With Developmental Trauma

“…These early experiences may lead a child to swing back and forth between their instincts of reaching out for attachment and social engagement and protecting themselves with fight/flight/freeze responses (Fisher, 2017; Schimmenti, 2012; Shahri, 2014). Essentially, the brain is focused on keeping the infant or child safe, and this becomes its primary objective above other needs or developmental milestones (Toof et al, 2020). The concept of the “window of tolerance” is used with many who work with individuals who have experienced developmental trauma to demonstrate that trauma survivors are often hyperaroused (fight/flight) or hypoaroused (freeze/dissociative; Fisher, 2017; Rothschild, 2017).…”