Disinhibited reactive attachment disorder symptoms impair social judgements from faces

Abstract

SummaryTypically developing adults and children can rapidly reach consensus regarding the trustworthiness of unfamiliar faces. Maltreated children can have problems with trusting others, yet those with the disinhibited form of Reactive Attachment Disorder (dRAD) can be indiscriminately friendly. Whether children with dRAD symptoms appraise and conform to typical judgements about trustworthiness of faces is still unknown. We recorded eye movements of 10 maltreated dRAD children and 10 age and gender matched typically developing control children while they made social judgements from faces. Children were presented with a series of pairs of faces previously judged by adults to have high or low attractiveness or trustworthiness ratings. Typically developing children reached a consensus regarding which faces were the most trustworthy and attractive. There was less agreement among the children with dRAD symptoms. Judgments from the typically developing children showed a strong correlation between the attractiveness and trustworthiness tasks.This was not the case for the dRAD group, who showed less agreement and no significant correlation between trustworthiness and attractiveness judgments. Finally, both groups of children sampled the eye region to perform social judgments. Our data offer a unique insight in children with dRAD symptoms, providing novel and important knowledge for their rehabilitation.

Practice Parameter for the Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Reactive Attachment Disorder and Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder

“…On the other hand, there is an emerging body of research on attachment disorders in school age children and adolescents. This research has demonstrated that signs of RAD and DSED are demonstrable in school-aged children and adolescents with histories of institutional rearing and maltreatment who are adopted 61,[68][69][70][71] or placed in foster care [72][73][74] but also studies identifying these disorders in impoverished populations of children in whom maltreatment is not specifically identified. 75,76 Two studies have demonstrated discriminate validity of RAD compared to ASD 77, and ADHD.…”

Attachment Disorders

“…Trust is essential for the development of secure, healthy relationships. A sense of trust in family and peers is primarily based on environmental factors (Miellet, Valdara, Gillberg, Raju, & Minnis, 2014). Having the ability to trust can decrease the likelihood of problems such as isolation, bullying, and depression (Sakai, 2010).…”

“…Children with attachment disorders have problems with trust. Those with the RAD type have difficulty truly trusting anyone, even a kind, consistent caregiver, whereas those with DSED trust indiscriminately, and this poor judgement places them at increased risk for physical, sexual, and emotional harm (Miellet et al, 2014). Children with attachment disorders also lack empathy (Zeanah et al, 2016).…”

Variables Associated With Indiscriminate Friendliness Displayed by Chinese Adoptees in U.S. Families

“…Children with IF were found to present with a series of neurodevelopmental problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder in a study of 34 adoptees in comparison with 32 nonadopted children raised by birth parents (Kočovská et al, 2012). In another study by Miellet, Caldara, Raju, Gillberg, and Minnis (2014), children with IF failed to show consensus on trustworthiness and attraction in presenting faces, whereas children without IF were able to reach an agreement demonstrated by previously tested adults. Concerns were thus held on trustworthiness and attractiveness judgments of children with IF.…”