“What we have here is a failure to communicate”: The misuse of attachment and bonding in the courtroom: A call for definitions and explanations

Abstract

Attachment and bond are two words often used in child custody evaluations and in family courts. Many professionals misuse these terms. Professionals often use phrases such as "strong attachment," "healthy bond," and "well-attached," all phrases which are not in the scientific literature. Attachment has a specific definition in the scientific literature. Furthermore, other than the Strange Situation method of assessment, there are no well-research reliable and valid methods for assessing the type of attachment, as defined in the scientific literature.Until such measures exist, evaluators, therapists, and family court professionals should avoid using the term attachment to describe parent-child relationships, and instead focus on functional aspects of the parent-child relationship.