IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT THE MOTHER PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN CHILD ABUSE WHETHER SHE INJURES OR NEGLECTS THE CHILD HERSELF OR FAILS TO PROTECT THE CHILD FROM ANOTHER ABUSER. THE DISCUSSION ISSUES INCLUDED THE NATURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF ATTACHMENT AND THE EFFECTS ON AN INDIVIDUAL'S SUBSEQUENT AFFILIATIVE AND PARENTAL BEHAVIOR WHEN THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS IS IMPAIRED. THE FOLLOWING PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSTRUCTS WHERE DRAWN FOR THE STUDY: PROXIMITY MAINTENANCE, AFFECT, AND AFFILIATION. OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS WERE DEVELOPED FOR THE FOUR PHASES IN THE MOTHERS' LIFE SPAN (CHILDHOOD, ADOLESCENCE, ADULTHOOD, AND PARENTHOOD). CASE RECORDS OF 81 MOTHERS OF ABUSED CHILDREN WERE REVIEWED FOR HISTORICAL INFORMATION. THE SAMPLE WAS DIVIDED INTO GROUPS ACCORDING TO THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA: MOTHERS WHO HAD INFLICTED INJURIES; MOTHERS GUILTY OF NEGLECT; AND MOTHERS WHO HAD PROTECTED THE ABUSER. CHI-SQUARE TESTS DETERMINED THAT THE ITEMS CONSIDERED DID NOT DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN THE GROUPS. ON THE BASIS OF THE RESULTS OF THE PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION, A CONTROL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED COMPARING MOTHERS OF ABUSED CHILDREN WITH MOTHERS OF NONABUSED CHILDREN ON VARIOUS SOCIAL HISTORY INDICATORS. A HYPOTHESIS STATING THAT THERE ARE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS WAS TESTED. THIRTY MOTHERS FROM THE ORIGINAL SAMPLE OF EIGHTY-ONE WERE COMPARED TO THIRTY MOTHERS IN THE CONTROL GROUP. DATA FOR THE CONTROL GROUP WAS COLLECTED THROUGH PERSONAL INTERVIEWS. CHI-SQUARE TESTS WERE USED TO COMPARE THE TWO GROUPS ON MULTIPLE INDICATORS. DIFFERENCES CONSISTENTLY WERE FOUND TO EXIST BETWEEN THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS, THUS INDICATING SUPPORT FOR THE ATTACHMENT THEORY. THE INVESTIGATION PROVED THAT MOTHERS OF ABUSED CHILDREN HAVE A HISTORY OF TRAUMATIC AND/OR ADVERSE EXPERIENCES. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. THE APPENDIX CONTAINS TABLES OF CHI-SQUARE VALUES. (JCP)