Prior participation in the strange situation and overstress jointly facilitate disorganized behaviours: implications for theory, research and practice

ABSTRACT

We seek to understand why a relatively high percentage (39%; vs the meta-analytic average, 15–18%) of disorganized/disoriented (D) classifications has accrued in the low-risk Uppsala Longitudinal Study (ULS) study, using experienced D coders. Prior research indicates that D behaviours do not always indicate attachment disorganization stemming from a history of frightening caregiving. We examined the role of two other presumed factors: participation in a previous strange situation and overstress. Our findings indicate that both factors were highly prevalent in the ULS sample and that they jointly predicted higher rates of D. First, participation in a previous strange situation was associated with significantly higher distress displays during the second visit than occurred among previously untested children, suggesting that prior participation in the strange situation had a sensitizing effect on child distress during the second visit. Second, unless separations were cut short in lieu of high distress during the second visit, re-tested children were disproportionately likely (ca 60%) to be classified D. We argue that these findings have important implications for theory, research, and practice. In particular, we conclude that practitioners must refrain from misattributing the appearance of any D behaviors observed to a history of maltreatment.

KEYWORDS:

• Attachment
• disorganized/disoriented
• strange situation
• measurement
• equifinality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. This omission was understandable as published recommendations on the shortening of separations were not available at the time (see Grossmann & Grossmann, 1989; Main & Solomon, 1990).

2. The latter percentage (18%) is from the most recent large-scale meta-analyses that have included disorganized attachment classifications (Groh et al., 2014, 2012). We are grateful to Ashley Groh for providing us with these meta-analytic data-sets.

3. This conclusion converges with that derived from other studies indicating a well-developed capacity among infant toddlers to maintain long-term memories, which may in fact last up to several months (e.g., Klein & Meltzoff, 1999; Rovee-Collier, 1999; Rovee-Collier & Barr, 2001).