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Review
. 2017 Oct;22(4):524-538.
doi: 10.1177/1359104516685602. Epub 2017 Feb 1.

Infant disorganized attachment: Clarifying levels of analysis

Robbie Duschinsky  1 , Judith Solomon  1
Affiliations
Review

Infant disorganized attachment: Clarifying levels of analysis

Robbie Duschinsky et al. Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2017 Oct.

Erratum in

  • Corrigendum.
    [No authors listed] [No authors listed] Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2020 Jan;25(1):NP2. doi: 10.1177/1359104517704349. Epub 2017 Mar 29. Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2020. PMID: 28355882 Free PMC article.

Abstract

Lack of clarity regarding the infant disorganized attachment classification has caused confusion in the clinical, forensic, and research contexts in which it is used. This article offers distinctions to clarify the concept with the goal of increasing understanding and identifying potential misapplications. In particular, attention is drawn to the fact that there are many indices used to code “disorganized attachment,” and that so far they have been validated as a set rather than individually; and it is noted that the construct validation of disorganization in naturalistic settings is partially finished. Clinicians and social workers should be cautious in their interpretations of such behavior.

Keywords: Disorganization; attachment; classification; conflict behavior.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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