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Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior pp 1–4Cite as

Anaclitic Depression

Synonyms

Abandonment; Depressive disorder; Hospitalism; Infant depression

Definition

The physical, social–emotional, and intellectual impairment of an infant’s development due to the separation from its mother or primary caregiver.

Introduction

Anaclitic depression is a term used to describe the transient depressed state of infants after their separation from a mothering figure. This term has been used in research with human infants and animal infants, ranging from experiments with nonhuman primates to studies with guinea pigs and rats. Symptoms are similar but can vary slightly by species and by the individual mother–infant relationships preseparation. While most studies agree that the effects of anaclitic depression are short-lived, disappearing after the mother–infant reunion, few studies have examined potential long-term behavioral effects.

Origins of Anaclitic Depression

Anaclitic depression was first described in a 1945 journal article titled “Hospitalism” by René Spitz. Spitz...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    Sarah E. Maylott

Authors
  1. Sarah E. Maylott
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sarah E. Maylott .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University , Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Jennifer Vonk

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University Department of Psychology, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Ph.D. Todd Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 529, 20837, Poolesville, MD, USA

    Annika Paukner

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Maylott, S.E. (2017). Anaclitic Depression. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1998-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1998-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social Sciences

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