Understanding short-term deprivation

Short-term deprivation refers to the distress experienced by children who are temporarily separated from their main attachment figure, often due to hospital stays for either the child or the caregiver. John Bowlby studied these effects, noting that this distress can cause a sequence of emotional responses in the child, progressing through distinct stages.

Bowlby's stages of distress in short-term deprivation

Bowlby identified three stages of distress that children typically experience during short-term deprivation from their main attachment figure.

Stage 1: Protest

This stage involves behaviours like crying, screaming, kicking, and struggling to escape or clinging to the caregiver to prevent their departure. These actions are an outward expression of feelings such as anger, fear, and bitterness.

Stage 2: Despair

The struggling and protest give way to calmer behaviour.

Key characteristics of the despair stage:

• Key behaviours - The child appears apathetic and withdrawn, showing little interest in others; they may engage in self-soothing actions like thumb-sucking or rocking.
• Emotional basis - Internally, the child still harbours anger and fear, but these feelings are "locked away," resulting in signs of depression and sadness.
• Response to others - The child barely reacts to comfort from others and no longer anticipates the primary caregiver's return, focusing instead on self-comfort.

Stage 3: Detachment

If the separation continues, the child begins to respond to people again.

Key characteristics of the detachment stage:

• Key behaviours - The child responds to people but treats everyone similarly and rather superficially.
• Impact on reunion - If reunited with the caregiver at this stage, the child may have to relearn the relationship and might even reject them.

Distinction between separation and deprivation

The terms "separation" and "deprivation" are often used interchangeably. Bowlby believed that separation threatened the attachment relationship and led to emotional deprivation. However, separation does not automatically lead to deprivation if adequate substitute emotional care is provided.

Research evidence from James and Joyce Robertson

Researchers James and Joyce Robertson conducted studies in England to explore whether separation from parents inevitably leads to deprivation. Their work focused on young children in temporary care settings, providing evidence that good substitute care can mitigate emotional harm.

Method

• The studies involved children aged mostly between 18 months and three years.
• Key cases included John (17 months old) in a residential nursery and several other children fostered in a home environment.
• John was placed in a standard residential nursery for nine days while his mother was in hospital giving birth.
• In contrast, other children were cared for by Joyce Robertson as a foster mother in her home; she facilitated hospital visits to their mothers and encouraged bringing familiar items from home to maintain emotional connections.
• Observations were filmed to document behavioural changes during the separation periods, which ranged from a few days to several weeks.

Results

• John initially sought companionship but progressed through distress, despair, and emotional detachment over the nine days, showing clear signs of deprivation.
• The fostered children, however, maintained positive behaviours: they ate and slept well, stayed emotionally stable, and warmly reunited with their parents at the end of the stay.
• No signs of Bowlby's stages appeared in the fostered group, as the substitute care preserved their attachment bonds.

Conclusions

• Separation does not automatically lead to deprivation if emotional bonds are maintained through minimised separation and quality substitute care.
• This supports Bowlby's theory by showing that the threat to attachment can be avoided, highlighting the importance of supportive caregiving during temporary absences.