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In the spring of 2018, the Attorney General of the United States issued a memorandum declaring a "zero tolerance policy" under which all adults entering the United States illegally would be criminally prosecuted, and, if traveling with minor children, forcibly separated from their children. Although the government was ordered to reunite the children with their parents it is still unclear how many children have been or remain separated. Given the high risk of permanent harm to a vulnerable population, and the fact that this risk may continue into the near future, we present a review of what nearly eight decades of scholarly research has taught us about the damaging impact of deprivation and separation from parents. The article briefly reviews the origins of attachment theory as well as empirical studies that examine the psychobiological impact on children who experienced parental deprivation or separation. The paper concludes with recommendations, for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates whether individual differences in attachment status can be detected by electro-physiological responses to loss-themed pictures. The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) was used to identify discourse/reasoning lapses during the discussion of loss experiences via death that place speakers in the Unresolved/disorganized AAI category. In parents, Unresolved AAI status has been associated with Disorganized infant Strange Situation response, a known risk factor for psychopathology (e.g., intemalizing/externalizing/dissociation). This association has been related to anomalous frightening (FR) parental behavior in the infant's presence, behavior presumed to be instigated by vulnerability to trauma-related fright. Here, psychophysiological methods were utilized to examine whether Unresolved AAI status could be detected in brain responses to subtle/symbolic reminders of loss. One year after AAI administration, 31 undergraduate women who had experienced loss (16 Unresolved) underwent continuous electroencephalogram (EEG) recording during a picture-viewing, valence-rating task. Picture onset-locked event-related potentials (ERPs) revealed millisecond responses to 4 picture categories: pleasant people, pleasant nature, cemetery (symbolic death), and gruesome death (dead or dying people). Participants' valence ratings did not differ between groups across picture categories. However, the N2 ERP, implicated in detecting stimulus salience, was selectively greater in Unresolved participants viewing cemetery scenes; it was in fact as high as the N2 for gruesome death images observed throughout the sample. Additionally, Unresolved participants exhibited a right-hemispheric P3 asymmetry across picture categories, suggestive of continuously heightened vigilance/arousal. Together, these results suggest that Unresolved AAI status is associated with greater neurophysiological sensitivity to subtle reminders of loss that may disrupt ongoing mental function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]