They are the center of evidence based practice, and thus are often being applied by nurses, in all disciplines, subconsciously. They function to “describe, explain, or predict phenomena, and …must be explicit and testable” (McEwen & Wills, 2014, p 214). Generally, the concepts focus on the four metaparadigm points of nursing, person, health, or environment. Additionally, when applied to nursing practice, they “have the potential to guide nursing interventions and change conditions of a situation to enhance nursing care” (McEwen & Wills, 2014, p 214). Therefore, middle range theories, although not narrowly focused or comprehensive, they seek to explain some noticed phenomena by identifying concepts and their interconnected …show more content…
Anxious avoidance patterns included avoiding eye contact and using toys as a distraction when stressed and interacting with primary caregiver, and is often seen in maltreated or abused children. Anxious ambivalence is also seen most commonly in maltreated infants, but mostly in neglect situations. It involves a pattern of behavior associated with concern for the whereabouts of a primary caregiver with varying behaviors of helplessness, passivity, and anger. Disorganized attachment includes behaviors meaningless body movements or tics when stressed, often related to prolonged isolation, neurological conditions, or even medication intervention in infancy (Peterson & Bredow,