Question

Psychological impact of separation of an infant from his or her mother

Answer 1

According to attachment theory, a secure attachment is derived from the child’s appraisal of his/her mother’s (or other attachment figure’s) availability. Availability implies that the mother is physically accessible to the child. Bowlby referred to the lack of accessibility as either separation or loss, depending on whether it was temporary or permanent in nature (Bowlby, 1973). Whereas Bowlby stressed the importance of the mother’s physical accessibility, Ainsworth clarified two other aspects of availability that are important for infant attachment. First, the child must develop a belief that the lines of communication with his/her mother are open, and second, the child must believe that his/her mother will respond if called upon for help (Ainsworth, 1990; Kobak & Madsen, 2008). As securely attached children get older, they are better able to tolerate physical distance from their mother because they may still be able to communicate with her and because they anticipate being comforted upon reunion. In the present study, we are primarily interested in links between physical accessibility, maternal responsiveness, and child outcomes. Specifically, we ask whether early disruptions in physical accessibility (mother-child separation during the first two years of life) are associated with maternal sensitivity and child socioemotional and language development.

We focus on separation between birth and age two because during that period children rely on physical proximity as the primary indicator of their mother’s availability.

Answer 2

When parents are separating, one thing uppermost in the minds of both parties is how it will affect their children. Although around one-third of marriages end in divorce, there are plenty of instances where unhappy couples remain together for the sake of their children, just so they have both parents present as they grow.

But how does separation and divorce actually affect children? Is it inevitably as destructive as some people believe? There are plenty of ideas, such as boys taking it worse than girls, for instance. But there have also been plenty of studies into the effects of separation, which debunk a lot of myths, and also produce some interesting results.

One common factor is that children will generally experience a great deal of distress when the separation occurs, but over time they will adjust and that will fade. A number of factors can help that recovery.