Practitioner Review: The contribution of attachment theory to child custody assessments

Abstract

Attachment theory has obvious conceptual relevance for the child custody context. Further clinical research is needed to demonstrate the usefulness of attachment research measures; research of this kind may shed important light on the development and resilience of affectional bonds.

Practitioner Review: Clinical applications of attachment theory and research for infants and young children

“…Recent thoughtful and comprehensive reviews have recommended that principles of attachment theory and well-validated measures of attachment security can help to inform custody evaluations (Byrne et al, 2005; Calloway & Erard, 2009). At the same time, standard attachment measures such as the SSP have not yet been widely used nor evaluated in the context of divorce and custody litigation.…”

How Do I Connect? Attachment Issues in Adolescence

“…While attachment theory is increasingly being considered in divorced, separated, and never married parenting plans (Kelly & Ward, 2002;Riggs, 2005;Rohrbaugh, 2008;Solomon, 2005), the knowledge base remains modest and there are disagreements concerning how and to what extent attachment theory should be applied (Byrne, O'Connor, Marvin, & Whelan, 2005;Riggs, 2005). An adolescent's response to divorce and parental separation may be mediated by his or her attachment style and quality of attachment relations both prior to and following divorce=separation.…”

The infant protection system in France: How does it work?

“…Recently, a fierce debate has raged over shared custody (part-time with mother and part-time with father) for infants and toddlers. This has led to recommendations to judges and lawyers by professionals that are based on attachment theory (Berger, Ciccone, & Guedeney, 2004;Byrne, O'Connor, Marvin, & Whelan, 2005).…”

“…This raises the issue of how parental ability is assessed, and where the best placement would be for an infant when separation from the parents is necessary (Byrne et al, 2005;David, Castex, Leger, & Merlet, 1981;Duchesne & Roy, 1991;Reder & Lucey, 1995).…”

“…The public infant and child psychiatric services staff could play a more important role in these procedures, bringing important knowledge about infant development, parent-infant interaction and assessment, and parental and caregiving capacity. Both their missions and funding could be expanded to help assess these cases (Byrne et al, 2005;Gauthier et al, 2004) as well as to provide the child with a place to think about and process the feelings that arise and to help the child work through his or her experiences (Berger, 2002a,b;Sirol, Marillaud, & Guedeney, 1999). The public mental health services staff could function as a "safe base" for the child in foster care on a long-term basis (Fava-Vizziello, Disnan, & Colucci, 2001).…”