Attachment is a crucial aspect of the physical, psychological and emotional development in infants. Attachment is the emotional bonds that infants develop with their parents and the parent figures (Ainsworth et al., 2015). Research indicates that, beyond the physical care, the early infant experience has a significant impact on a child’s; later mental, social adjustment as well as personality development. Attachment relationships are formed in the course of interactions with the caregivers. During this period, the infants can accumulate information regarding the readiness, the quality and the reliability responses from others and during this period particular representations are formed about the caregivers, themselves as well as the nature of the environment (Volling et al., 2015). Consequently, the attachments influence the child’s behavior and affect the subsequent social relationships. The attachment formed during between the caregivers and infants goes beyond meeting the basic survival needs and therefore, the caregivers have a significant role in influencing how these children turn out including the personality, emotional and social development (Ainsworth et al., 2015). As such, caregivers have a responsibility in supporting children since it fosters confidence and growth in a child’s life.
Among infants who experience insecure attachments, they are often associated with poorer developments outcomes. Infant development is critical since it plays an essential role in initiating pathways of development and also due to its relationship with other critical developmental functions (Sroufe, 2015).It includes the social interactions, arousal modulation, emotional regulation as well as curiosity Alan Sroufe researched on the outcomes of Ainsworth Strange Situation Experiments and results indicated that the style of early attachment relationships often predicts the later emotional development of a child. Besides, Sroufe (2015) asserts that variations such as quality of the connections are not a reflection of the genetically based traits of the infant, but rather it is dependent on the history interaction with the parent. Therefore, attachment style is not inborn but instead driven with how parents interact with the infant from birth. In the longitudinal study by Sroufe on attachment, results indicated that in children with anxious affection, there was the likelihood the children would be emotionally disturbed and have low self-esteem.
The quality of parenting determines a child behavior during the later years, therefore, a substantial potential modifiable risk factor. Epidemiological studies show that parenting practices have a significant influence various domains of children development (Sanders " Morawska, 2006). As such, inadequate attachments as indicated with lack of warm and positive relationships with the caregivers, insecure attachments and lack of involvement in a child life is associated with a child increased the risk for behavioral and emotional problems. Sanders " Morawska (2006) suggests that, among children who experience parenting of harsh discipline, they experience developmental issues and consequently, these children are unable to learn self-control as well as positive life skills. Also, these children are at a higher risk for the subsequent difficulties with adaptation at school as well as the development of relationships with their fellow peers as well as the teachers. Concurrently, it compounds their risk for pressing problems such as drug and substance use, antisocial behavior’s as well as the participation in criminal activities which could be difficult in their lives. On the other hand, for parents who have the warm attachment with their children, there is the development of positive and caring relationships between the caregiver and the child and after that with their peers and even the society at large (Sanders " Morawska, 2006).
Emotional development for infants in their later life is often dependent on their experience with their caregivers during the event. Studies on the effects of depressed mothers on the emotional development of their children have been done (Ainsworth et al., 2015). Among caregivers with maladaptive thoughts, behaviors and attitudes and exposure to a stressful environment predisposes children to the development of emotional problems. Depressed caregiver’s acts indifferently to their children and therefore fail to provide adequate stimulation for their children and thus make them disadvantaged from achieving the healthy emotional development.
Emotional regulation in children is an essential aspect of their emotional development. Sheffield and colleagues suggests that since children grow seeing their parent regulate emotions and their interaction with other people, they tend to imitate what they see their parents do to control their emotions. Sheffield et al. further suggests that a child temperament also plays a role in the regulation of their feelings depending on the parenting style they receive. As such, for children who are exposed to harmful emotions or anger episodes from their parents, they often experience neglecting and hostile parenting often leading to the development of behavioral problems in their later lives. Children experiencing temperamental difficulties are at risk of developing bidirectional issues which may evoke more negative emotions from the parents if they are not monitored. Consequently, it is crucial for the parents to understand their parenting style together with their feelings affects the emotional outcomes of their children. Besides, temperamental behaviors together with ineffective parenting style could contribute to the development of adverse reactions from the children.
Research indicates that attachment relationships formed when they are young affects how they approach relationships (Volling et al., 2012). Therefore, there is the higher possibility of transmitting patterns of relationships through generations. Studies show that a mother adult attachment relationship determines the infant attachment. For mothers who are secure, they tend to behave sensitively toward their children while responding to the bids for comfort, attention, and communication. Therefore, it some researchers has concluded the possibility of transmitting attachment from one generation to another, and this is made possible due since the attachment is often linked to the subsequent adult attachment which later affects their parenting styles.
From research, it is evident that in the event parents have an insecure attachment with their children, their children are at risk of psychopathology. In children who have experienced insecure attachments, they are likely to develop fewer social skills and have low levels of communication skills. Research suggests that for insecurely attached children, they often feel anxious and this may intern increase the probability of developing anxiety disorders (Siegler et al., 2016). Anxiety serves as a powerful stimulus of emotional distress making individuals at a high arousal state causing them to have a hyper-responsive state to sensory stimulation or excitability. Most researchers have associated the children attachment patterns to those of their mothers. Also, for insecure attachment patterns, they often predispose children to the development of psychiatric manifestations among the school going children
According to John Bowlby, the survival of infants in the environment is dependent on their ability maintain proximity to the adults motivated to care, feed and comfort them. The attachment theory suggests that the child’s first relationship often have profound, long-lasting effects on their subsequent development. For the links that are close, they provide a sense of protection and psychological sense of security. Besides, the theory further states that the expectations that children develop out of their early relationships with their caregivers, they become working models which affect how they approach new relationships in their future lives as adolescents and as parents themselves (Bosmans " Kerns, 2015). As such, the way caregivers develop attachment relationships with their children is a significant factor in determining how these children will behave towards their children when they grow up thereby affecting their attachment relationships. Therefore, attachment relationships formed during an early childhood life is often linked to their attachment style during their adulthood. Besides, the attachment style affects how they relate to their children.
Attachment of infants to their caregivers determines to a greater extent the social, physical and emotional development of children. There is no specific protocol for modeling the behavior of children. For children who experience insecure attachment, they are at risk of developing emotional and behavioral problems such as antisocial behavior, lack of social skills as well as the development of psychiatric manifestations. Therefore, caregivers have a responsibility in helping children develop more emotional, social and physical states which are significant in the event of social interactions with their peers as well as well with their teachers and later with their children during their adulthood.
References
Ainsworth, M. D. S., Blehar, M. C., Waters, E., " Wall, S. N. (2015). Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange situation. Psychology Press.
Bosmans, G., " Kerns, K. A. (2015). Attachment in middle childhood: Progress and prospects. New directions for child and adolescent development, 2015(148), 1-14.
Sanders, M. R., " Morawska, A. (2006). Towards a public health approach to parenting. The Psychologist, 19(8), 476-479.
Sheffield Morris, A., Silk, J. S., Steinberg, L., Myers, S. S., " Robinson, L. R. (2007). The role of the family context in the development of emotional regulation.Social Development, 16(2), pp 361-388.
Siegler, R., DeLoache, J., " Eisenberg, N. (2011). How children develop. (3rd ed.). New York: Worth Publishers.
Sroufe, L. A. (2011). From infant attachment to promotion of adolescent autonomy: Prospective, longitudinal data on the role of parents in development. In J. G. Borkowski, S. L. Ramey " M. Bristol-Power (Eds.), Parenting and the Child’s World: Influences on Academic, Intellectual, and Social-emotional Development. Psychology Press.
Volling, B., McElwain, N., Notaro, P., " Herrera, C. (2012). Parents’ emotional availability and infant emotional competence: Predictors of parent-infant attachment and emerging self-regulation. Journal of family psychology, 16, pp 447-465.
