Adolescents who had disorganized attachment with
their primary caregiver during infancy have higher levels of
overall psychopathology at 17 years of age (19), and those
classified as disorganized at five to seven years of age exhibit
impaired formal operational skills and self-regulation at
17 years of age (44). Finally, children with disorganized
attachment are vulnerable to altered states of mind, such as
dissociation in young adulthood (19,45). A meta-analysis of
12 studies (n=734) addressing the association of disorganization
and externalizing behaviour problems (9), found
effect sizes ranging from 0.54 to 0.17, with a mean correlation
coefficient of 0.29. The presence of negative findings
suggests that the relation is not straightforward: Lyons-Ruth
(28) found that 25% of children with disorganized attachment
in infancy were not disturbed at seven years of age.
Nonetheless, it appears that the majority of children with
disorganized attachment suffer adverse outcomes.