In a study of 14,000 US children, researchers found that 40 percent
lack strong emotional bonds with their parents—bonds that are crucial to
success later in life.
According to the report, published by Sutton Trust,
children under the age of three who do not form strong bonds with their
mothers or fathers are more likely to be aggressive, defiant, and
hyperactive as adults.
These bonds, or “secure attachments,” are formed through early
parental care, such as picking up a child when he or she cries or
holding and reassuring a child.
“When parents tune in to and respond to their children’s needs and
are a dependable source of comfort, those children learn how to manage
their own feeling and behaviors,” says Sophie Moullin, a joint doctoral
candidate studying at Princeton University’s Department of Sociology and
the Office of Population Research. “These secure attachments to their
mothers and fathers provide these children with a base from which they
can thrive.”
The report uses data collected by the Early Childhood Longitudinal
Study, a nationally representative US study of 14,000 children born in
2001. The researchers also reviewed more than 100 academic studies.
STRONG ATTACHMENTS
Their analysis shows that about 60 percent of children develop strong
attachments to their parents, which are formed through simple actions,
such as holding a baby lovingly and responding to the baby’s needs. Such
actions support children’s social and emotional development, which, in
turn, strengthens their cognitive development, the researchers write.
These children are more likely to be resilient to poverty, family
instability, parental stress, and depression. Additionally, if boys
growing up in poverty have strong parental attachments, they are two and
a half times less likely to display behavior problems at school.
WEAK BONDS
The approximately 40 percent who lack secure attachments, on the
other hand, are more likely to have poorer language and behavior before
entering school. This effect continues throughout the children’s lives,
and such children are more likely to leave school without further
education, employment, or training, the researchers write.
Among children growing up in poverty, poor parental care, and
insecure attachment before age four strongly predicted a failure to
complete school. Of the 40 percent who lack secure attachments, 25
percent avoid their parents when they are upset (because their parents
are ignoring their needs), and 15 percent resist their parents because
their parents cause them distress.
WIDENING OF THE “READINESS GAP”
“This report clearly identifies the fundamental
role secure attachment could have in narrowing that school readiness gap
and improving children’s life chances. More support from health
visitors, children’s centers and local authorities in helping parents
improve how they bond with young children could play a role in narrowing
the education gap,” says Conor Ryan, director of research at the Sutton
Trust.
Susan Campbell, a professor of psychology at the University of
Pittsburgh who studies social and emotional development in young
children and infants, says insecure attachments emerge when primary
caregivers are not “tuned in” to their infant’s social signals,
especially their cries of distress during infancy.
“When helpless infants learn early that their cries will be responded
to, they also learn that their needs will be met, and they are likely
to form a secure attachment to their parents,” Campbell says. “However,
when caregivers are overwhelmed because of their own difficulties,
infants are more likely to learn that the world is not a safe
place—leading them to become needy, frustrated, withdrawn, or
disorganized.”
The researchers argue that many parents—including middle-class
parents—need more support to provide proper parenting, including family
leave, home visits, and income supports.
“Targeted interventions can also be highly effective in helping
parents develop the behaviors that foster secure attachment. Supporting
families who are at risk for poor parenting ideally starts early—at
birth or even before,” says Waldfogel, a co-author of the report and a
professor of social work and public affairs at Columbia University.
Source: Princeton University
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