Attachment disturbances in young children. II: Indiscriminate behavior and institutional care

Abstract

Objective: To assess convergence among three different measures of indiscriminate behavior and to assess the relationship of indiscriminate behavior to having an attachment figure and to aggressive behavior among young children living in a Romanian institution.

Method: Caregivers in the institution were interviewed with semistructured interviews regarding the behavior of 61 children with special emphasis on indiscriminate behavior. The study was conducted in Bucharest, Romania (1999).

Results: Substantial convergence among measures of indiscriminate behavior was demonstrated. Indiscriminate behavior was common whether or not these children had a preferred attachment figure. Indiscriminate behavior was independent of aggressive behavior.

Conclusions: Differing explanations for indiscriminate behavior in young children derive from differing interpretations of similar findings rather than different findings with different measures. Indiscriminate behavior was largely independent of aggression in these institutionalized young children. Indiscriminate behavior may represent an independent problem rather than a type of reactive attachment disorder as suggested by DSM-IV criteria.