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Attachment, Trauma and Play
A deeper exploration of a finding from an earlier Mulberry Bush study, examining changes in children's ability to resolve trauma and loss, the quality and coherence of their play, and their attachment security.
About the project
The researcher coded and reviewed the initial and follow-up story stem video assessments of fifty children, one hundred recordings in total. The findings were correlated with a range of child demographics.
Key findings
- Over two thirds of the children showed shifts in their ability to resolve trauma and loss, in the quality and coherence of their play, and in their attachment security.
- The impact of the loss of family on a child affected their ability to progress in these areas.
- A third of the children presented with a Winnicottian compliant, or 'false self', presentation.
- The attachment style of children on the autistic spectrum was amenable to change.
- Children's play themes of violence correlated positively with experiencing domestic violence, whereas play themes of sex did not correlate with known sexual abuse.
Conference poster
A poster of this research was presented at the Winnicott virtual conference in September 2021. The event, 'A Present for the Future', commemorated fifty years since Winnicott's death.
For a copy of the full report, please email Caryn Onions at conions@mulberrybush.org.uk.
