attachment disorder

American  

noun

Psychology.

1. an emotional and behavioral disorder arising from a failure to form a strong bond with one’s primary caregiver in early childhood and affecting one’s social relationships in later childhood and adulthood.

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Etymology

Origin of attachment disorder

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Allan said he was diagnosed with an attachment disorder after watching his mother die in a car accident when he was three.

From BBC • Oct. 25, 2024

“We have fostered children with various issues, including fetal alcohol syndrome, tracheomalacia, reactive attachment disorder, spina bifida, limb difference, prematurity, neonatal abstinence syndrome, and various developmental delays.”

From Slate • Mar. 5, 2020

According to the Mayo Clinic, reactive attachment disorder occurs when a child’s basic needs for nurturing, comfort and affection are not met, and the child fails to establish any stable, loving attachments with a caregiver.

From Washington Times • May 30, 2016

They also had the most severe reactive attachment disorder she has seen anywhere.

From Washington Post • Jan. 30, 2014

It took years for the couple to conclude that Julia had a condition known as reactive attachment disorder that limited her sociability and emotional outreach.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 19, 2014