Reactive attachment disorder: a descriptive literature review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5538/2385-703X.2026.30.18Keywords:
attachment, reactive attachment disorder, nursing, orphanagesAbstract
Objective: this review aims to compile the scientific knowledge on reactive attachment disorder and demonstrate the relevance of nursing intervention at early ages.
Material and methods: a descriptive literature review was carried out following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, using MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) and DeCS (Health Sciences Descriptors) descriptors, as well as Boolean operators and the PICO (Patient, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcomes) methodology. Articles published since 2013 were retrieved through the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scielo bibliographic databases.
Results: in the first screening, after applying manual filters and removing duplicates, a total of 86 articles were obtained. Subsequently, once the established inclusion criteria were applied, a total of 56 articles were selected and studied. Finally, those not relevant to the topic were discarded, resulting in a final total of 32 records included in the review.
Discussion: a clear relationship was found between the lack of a secure attachment bond and the onset of the disorder. The relationship with other psychopathological and neurological alterations was highlighted, as well as the importance of nursing intervention.
Recommendations: it is recommended to strengthen the role of nursing in the detection and prevention of reactive attachment disorder, integrating the assessment of the affective bond into clinical practice, promoting training in attachment and trauma, and fostering nursing research aimed at designing interventions that support healthy family environments.
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