A dismissive-avoidant parent, who typically struggles with emotional intimacy and tends to suppress their own feelings, can have a significant impact on a child’s development. If the child is experiencing symptoms like screaming at night, it could be a reflection of underlying emotional distress or insecurity, which might be related to the child’s attachment needs not being fully met.

Here are some ways a dismissive-avoidant parent can affect a child’s development:

1. Attachment and Emotional Insecurity:

• Emotional Distance: A dismissive-avoidant parent may struggle to connect emotionally with the child, often appearing distant or disengaged. This emotional distance can make the child feel rejected or abandoned, leading to anxious attachment or insecure attachment patterns.
  
• Night Terrors and Screaming: Nightmares or screaming at night may be a manifestation of this emotional insecurity. The child might not feel safe or emotionally supported, especially when dealing with their fears and emotions. The nighttime screams could be an unconscious expression of that anxiety.

2. Development of Anxiety:

• Children who grow up with emotionally unavailable or distant parents may experience heightened levels of anxiety. They might not develop the tools to process or regulate their emotions effectively, which can lead to sleep disturbances, like night terrors, nightmares, or screaming in their sleep.

3. Difficulty Expressing Emotions:

• A dismissive-avoidant parent often avoids emotional expression, and this can model the same behavior in children. Children may learn to suppress their feelings because they don’t see emotional expression as being met with validation or comfort.
  
• If a child feels misunderstood or unacknowledged emotionally, this internal tension might manifest in physical ways, like screaming or crying out at night, because they haven’t developed healthy emotional outlets during the day.

4. Fear of Rejection or Seeking Approval:

• The child may develop an excessive fear of rejection or constantly seek approval from their parents, leading to hypervigilance or distress, especially when alone or at night. The child might try to cope with this by expressing fear through nightmares or disturbed sleep patterns.

5. Behavioral Issues:

• Children of dismissive-avoidant parents might also act out in ways to get attention, whether through tantrums, screaming, or disruptive behavior during the night. They might feel that negative attention is better than no attention at all.

6. Struggles with Self-Worth:

• The absence of warmth and emotional availability can lead to a child developing low self-esteem and questioning their worth. This internalized stress and confusion can manifest in the form of disturbed sleep or night-time outbursts.

7. Challenges in Building Trust:

• A dismissive-avoidant parent may not always respond to their child’s emotional needs, leading to difficulties in the child building trust. This can result in a heightened sense of fear or vulnerability, especially at night when they feel more alone.

How to Help:

• Provide Emotional Reassurance: Offering consistent emotional support and reassurance can help a child feel more secure.
  
• Acknowledge Emotions: Encourage the child to express their feelings openly and validate their fears or concerns.
  
• Establish Routines: Predictable bedtime routines can help reduce anxiety and offer a sense of safety at night.
  
• Therapeutic Intervention: In cases of persistent distress, professional counseling or therapy for both the parent and child could help address attachment-related issues and provide strategies for emotional connection.

If you suspect that a dismissive-avoidant dynamic is contributing to a child’s nighttime distress, addressing the root causes through emotional engagement and healing attachment patterns could be key in alleviating symptoms like night screams.