Child abuse and neglect. Attachment, development and intervention

Abstract

Reviews the book, Child abuse and neglect. Attachment, development and intervention by David Howe (2005). David Howe has produced a book that is likely to become a classic text; his grasp of the area is excellent and he manages the leap from one set of ideas to the next seamlessly. Mary Main built on the work of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth, developing the Adult Attachment Interview and identifying the Disorganised response in the Strange Situation. Pat Crittenden has developed both the Interview and Strange Situation to make the outcome for children who have been abused more comprehensible. David Howe brings in the ideas of Fonagy and Target and Trevarthan when looking at the child's developing mind and relationships. Overall, Part I, looking at such topics as emotions, mind-mindedness, defensive processes attachment, and maltreatment is excellent. Parts II, III and IV describe in an illuminating way the different forms of abuse that the understanding attachment theory provides. The section on interventions was really a review of the research, mainly from the USA. This book does make a real contribution, taking attachment theory to the heart of child abuse and neglect both as an academic piece of work but also as a very helpful text for those trying to make sense of this area of human behaviour and seeking a good foundation for their practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)