New Research on Attachment and its Clinical Implications

In this chapter new developments from research on attachment and its various styles are described. The concept of attachment has proved to be a useful construct to understand problems in development, in interpersonal relationships and a number of emotional difficulties in children, adolescents and also in adults. It is also a central concept in several forms of psychotherapy. The chapter reviews new research on the psychoneuroimmunology of attachment styles, the role of chronic stress on the mind and the body of childrenWe describe recent scientific research on the neuroscience of attachment and the experiences of stress, loss and maltreatment on the regulation of emotions and their effects on various areas of the limbic system. The implications for emotional dysregulation and the capacity for empathy are described. The ancestral origins of attachment are covered in terms of their evolutionary value. We describe some implications for child-rearing, for early intervention and for remediation strategies in children who have experienced parental loss, chronic stress and maltreatment.