Child Abuse and Neglect, 38(8), 2014, pp.1351-1357.
Publisher:
Elsevier
This study aimed to assess disorganized states of mind in a sample of neglecting and at-risk of neglecting mothers using the recently developed Hostile-Helpless (HH) coding system (Lyons-Ruth et al., 2006) for the Adult Attachment Interview (Main & Goldwyn, 1998). The relation between HH states of mind and mothers’ childhood traumas was also examined. Participants were 70 neglecting mothers and at-risk of neglecting mothers. Childhood traumas were assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. HH states of mind were coded from Adult Attachment Interview transcripts by two reliable coders. Results revealed a high prevalence of disorganized states of mind in this sample. Forty-five mothers were classified HH, representing 64% of the entire sample. Most mothers reported at least one form
(Publisher abstract)
This study aimed to assess disorganized states of mind in a sample of neglecting and at-risk of neglecting mothers using the recently developed Hostile-Helpless (HH) coding system (Lyons-Ruth et al., 2006) for the Adult Attachment Interview (Main & Goldwyn, 1998). The relation between HH states of mind and mothers’ childhood traumas was also examined. Participants were 70 neglecting mothers and at-risk of neglecting mothers. Childhood traumas were assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. HH states of mind were coded from Adult Attachment Interview transcripts by two reliable coders. Results revealed a high prevalence of disorganized states of mind in this sample. Forty-five mothers were classified HH, representing 64% of the entire sample. Most mothers reported at least one form of childhood trauma, with a mean of 2.9 different forms of trauma. Mothers classified HH reported having been emotionally abused, sexually abused and physically neglected more frequently than non-HH mothers. There was no difference between neglecting and at-risk of neglect mothers on HH states of mind and childhood experiences of trauma. These findings are in line with theorization on maltreating mothers’ psychological background and they provide further empirical support to the validation of the HH classification system with at-risk populations.
(Publisher abstract)
Many clinicians and researchers have proposed considering child abuse and neglect from a traumatic stress perspective to better understand how they so profoundly impact child development. According to this perspective, child maltreatment (both child abuse and neglect) is viewed as a chronic interpersonal trauma which may severely interfere with normal developmental processes, often resulting in long-lasting behavioural, emotional and psychophysiological dysregulations. In this paper, the authors summarise theoretical and empirical literature addressing the traumatic nature of child neglect, with a specific focus on short-term consequences of neglect in childhood. They then give an overview of some key intervention elements stemming from trauma-informed approaches with traumatised children and their families.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Many clinicians and researchers have proposed considering child abuse and neglect from a traumatic stress perspective to better understand how they so profoundly impact child development. According to this perspective, child maltreatment (both child abuse and neglect) is viewed as a chronic interpersonal trauma which may severely interfere with normal developmental processes, often resulting in long-lasting behavioural, emotional and psychophysiological dysregulations. In this paper, the authors summarise theoretical and empirical literature addressing the traumatic nature of child neglect, with a specific focus on short-term consequences of neglect in childhood. They then give an overview of some key intervention elements stemming from trauma-informed approaches with traumatised children and their families.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
child neglect, intervention, family support, traumas, child abuse, child development;
Child Maltreatment, 15(4), November 2010, pp.293-304.
Publisher:
Sage
This research on pre-school children (mean age 5 years) in Canada looked into whether child neglect is associated with dissociative symptoms and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It also explored the role of the quality of mother-child affective communication in the development of trauma-related symptoms in neglected children. Thirty three neglected children were recruited from child protection agencies in both rural and urban areas of the Mauricie/Centre-du-Quebec region and compared with 72 non-neglected children from mainly socioeconomically disadvantaged families sourced from diverse settings. Victims and survivors of other forms of abuse were excluded from this study. Assessments of mother and pre-school teachers' reports were made for trauma symptoms such as re-experiencing, avoidance and hyper arousal. The quality of interpersonal relationships and communication between mothers and children was observed in a lab visit during an unstructured task. Teachers advised that neglected children displayed more dissociative and PTSD symptoms than their non-neglected peers, with the quality of mother-child communication lower in neglected dyads. The quality of mother-child affective communication was seen as a predictor of teacher-reported child trauma symptoms which enhanced the parameter of child neglect's predictive abilities. The authors discuss the traumatic nature of child neglect and the effect that underlying parent-child relations can have on how symptoms are expressed.
This research on pre-school children (mean age 5 years) in Canada looked into whether child neglect is associated with dissociative symptoms and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It also explored the role of the quality of mother-child affective communication in the development of trauma-related symptoms in neglected children. Thirty three neglected children were recruited from child protection agencies in both rural and urban areas of the Mauricie/Centre-du-Quebec region and compared with 72 non-neglected children from mainly socioeconomically disadvantaged families sourced from diverse settings. Victims and survivors of other forms of abuse were excluded from this study. Assessments of mother and pre-school teachers' reports were made for trauma symptoms such as re-experiencing, avoidance and hyper arousal. The quality of interpersonal relationships and communication between mothers and children was observed in a lab visit during an unstructured task. Teachers advised that neglected children displayed more dissociative and PTSD symptoms than their non-neglected peers, with the quality of mother-child communication lower in neglected dyads. The quality of mother-child affective communication was seen as a predictor of teacher-reported child trauma symptoms which enhanced the parameter of child neglect's predictive abilities. The authors discuss the traumatic nature of child neglect and the effect that underlying parent-child relations can have on how symptoms are expressed.