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Reactive attachment disorder symptoms in adults with intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- MINNIS Helen, FLEMING Gail, COOPER Sally-Ann
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 23(4), July 2010, pp.398-403.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Unusual social behaviours such as disinhibited, overfriendly or, conversely, withdrawn hypervigilant behaviours are core symptoms of Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). Studies with children suggest that RAD is associated with pathogenic early care. Little is known about RAD in adults with intellectual disabilities, many of whom experience adversity and abuse in early life. This study investigated whether RAD symptoms occur in this population, and explored whether hypothesised risk factors are associated with higher RAD symptom scores. The participants were 50 adults with intellectual disabilities residing in long-stay hospitals. The participants and their carers participated in a questionnaire survey of RAD symptoms, childhood experiences, and disabilities. The results demonstrated that RAD symptoms were present in this sample, and symptom scores were independently associated with early childhood adversity, diminished with age, but were not associated with cognitive ability, gender, other disabilities, or number of childhood years in institutional care. The paper concludes that, as with children with RAD, it is possible that some maltreated adults with intellectual disabilities fail to develop stranger anxiety by the usual developmental age, but these symptoms reduce in adult life after decades of further development.
Mental health services for looked after children: implications from two studies
- Authors:
- MINNIS Helen, PRIORE Christina Del
- Journal article citation:
- Adoption and Fostering, 25(4), Winter 2001, pp.27-38.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Two recent studies by Glasgow researchers have highlighted the high level of emotional and behaviourial difficulties experienced by looked after children. One was a survey of children entering the care system (Dimigen et al, 1999) while the other was a randomised controlled trial of a training programme for foster carers. The survey was carried out in Glasgow, while the trial was carried out across another part of the Central Belt of Scotland. Despite their different designs and geographical areas, the two studies came up with complementary results. The results are synthesised in this article and are used to argue that practitioners need to take a fresh look at mental health services for looked after children and the assessments which should determine what these children need.