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Child Maltreatment, Attachment Security, and Internal Representations of Mother and Mother-Child Relationships

NCJ Number
235173
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2011 Pages: 137-145
Author(s)
Erin Pickreign Stronach; Sheree L. Toth; Fred Rogosch; Assaf Oshri; Jody Todd Manly; Dante Cicchetti
Date Published
May 2011
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study examined the relationships between child maltreatment, and attachment security among pre-schoolers.
Abstract
Attachment security and internal representations of mothers, and of the motherchild relationship, were examined in an ethnically diverse and economically disadvantaged sample of maltreated (N = 92) and nonmaltreated (N = 31) preschool-aged children. Maltreated preschoolers had lower rates of secure attachment and higher rates of disorganized attachment than did nonmaltreated preschoolers. Maltreatment also was associated with less positive global representations of the motherchild relationship relative to the nonmaltreated comparison group. Analyses were conducted to determine whether maltreatment characteristics such as subtype, chronicity, severity, and frequency were associated with attachment organization and with internal representations. Implications of these results for developmental theory and intervention with maltreated children are discussed. (Published Abstract)