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Madeleine McCann could be angry with her parents and may reject them if she is
ever reunited with them, a child psychologist has warned.
Despite speculation that Madeleine may have been killed, Kate and Gerry McCann
are determined to find their daughter.
They have pledged to continue the search for their eldest child but experts
have given a warning.
They say that even if she is found alive, the four-year-old could be so
psychologically damaged by her ordeal that she will have lost the natural bond
with her parents.
Child psychologist Ruth Coppard said that as time goes by Madeleine will start
to forget her parents and would probably turn away at first if she was found.
The Yorkshire-based practitioner said: "A child builds up a strong bond
with its parents and if they are suddenly taken away from them, they feel
betrayed.
"With Madeleine, there would definitely be a feeling of hurt and betrayal,
and it is a possibility she could feel very angry towards her parents.
"If they are re-united, it won't be a case of falling right back into old
routines.
"It will take a tremendous amount of effort from a lot of people to
rebuild the bond.
"Once she has calmed down she would eventually accept them back as her
parents, but it could take months, even years, for her to trust them enough to
be her old self."
And Ms Coppard believes Madeleine could forget her parents altogether if she
has been cared for well.
She added: "The longer Madeleine is missing, the more likely it is that
she will forget her parents altogether.
"Children need to be loved and they are always looking for someone who
they can have that loving attachment with.
"Maddie could maybe remember being happy in her first three-years of life,
but she probably wouldn't be able to recall who she had those happy times with.
"If she is in the arms of another family, who care for her tremendously,
she could eventually build up the kind of emotional bond with them she once had
with her parents.
Madeleine vanished 104 days ago from a holiday chalet in the Algarve village of Praia
da Luz as her parents dined at a local restaurant. |
