Examining Mothers’ Childhood Maltreatment History, Parental Reflective Functioning, and the Long-Term Effects of the Minding the Baby® Home Visiting Intervention

2021 ◽  
pp. 107755952199909
Author(s):  
Eileen M. Condon ◽  
Amalia Londono Tobon ◽  
Margaret L. Holland ◽  
Arietta Slade ◽  
Linda Mayes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Home Visiting ◽  
Reflective Functioning ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Childhood Trauma Questionnaire ◽  
Parental Reflective Functioning ◽  
Early Childhood Interventions

Research is needed to better understand how childhood maltreatment history affects parental reflective capacities, and whether early childhood interventions help mitigate these effects. We examined associations between childhood maltreatment and current parenting (parental reflective functioning, parenting behaviors) among mothers who participated in a follow-up study ( N = 97) of the Minding the Baby® (MTB) randomized control trial. MTB is a home visiting program that aims to help mothers understand their child’s mental states (feelings, intentions, needs) by promoting parental reflective functioning. Mothers retrospectively reported childhood maltreatment using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Endorsing a higher number of childhood maltreatment subtypes was associated with less supportive/engaged parenting and higher pre-mentalizing modes, or difficulty with appropriately reflecting on the child’s mental states. These relationships were not moderated by participation in the MTB intervention. However, exploratory analyses of individual maltreatment subtypes revealed that participation in MTB may mitigate the harmful effects of childhood emotional abuse on pre-mentalizing modes, specifically. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms through which early childhood interventions may prevent intergenerational cycles of maltreatment.

scholarly journals Self-Reported Childhood Maltreatment and Traumatic Events among Israeli Patients Suffering from Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raneen Hellou ◽  
Winfried Häuser ◽  
Inbal Brenner ◽  
Dan Buskila ◽  
Giris Jacob ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Activity Index ◽  
Childhood Adversity ◽  
Disease Activity Index ◽  
Childhood Trauma Questionnaire ◽  
Sf 36 ◽  
Symptom Severity Score ◽  
Patient Health

Objective. The association between Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) and childhood maltreatment and adversity has frequently been proposed but limited data exists regarding the transcultural nature of this association. Methods. 75 Israeli FMS patients and 23 Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients were compared. Childhood maltreatment was assessed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and potential depressive and anxiety disorders were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-4. FMS severity was assessed by the Widespread Pain Index (WPI), the Symptom Severity Score (SSS), and the FIQ. PTSD was diagnosed according to the DSM IV. RA severity was assessed by the RA Disease Activity Index. Health status was assessed by the SF-36. Results. Similar to reports in other countries, high levels of self-reported childhood adversity were reported by Israeli FMS patients. PTSD was significantly more common among FMS patients compared with RA patients, as well as childhood emotional abuse and physical and emotional neglect. Levels of depression and anxiety were significantly higher among FMS patients. Conclusion. The study demonstrated the cross cultural association between FMS and childhood maltreatment, including neglect, emotional abuse, and PTSD. Significant differences were demonstrated between FMS patients and patients suffering from RA, a model of an inflammatory chronic rheumatic disease.

scholarly journals Validation of the Japanese Version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-J)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rie Mizuki ◽  
Takeo Fujiwara
Keyword(s):  
Child Maltreatment ◽  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Japanese Version ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Community Group ◽  
Childhood Trauma Questionnaire ◽  
Japanese Adolescents

Abstract Background In Japan, the number of child maltreatment reports has surged to almost ten folds during the last decade. Assessment tools which are concise and easy-to-use are called for, in order to facilitate the process of child maltreatment substantiation as well as to advance research on Japanese people. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF) is accepted internationally as an instrument to assess and quantify experiences of childhood maltreatment and its impact. However, the Japanese version of CTQ-SF has not been validated. The present study examined validity of the Japanese version of the CTQ (CTQ-J). Methods The CTQ-J was administered to Japanese adolescents institutionalized due to child maltreatment and other family issues (institutionalized group, n=31) and adolescents who had no experience of institutionalization (community group, n=46) from the greater Tokyo area. Analysis of Variance was conducted to compare CTQ-J scores among the institutionalized group with documented maltreatment, the institutionalized group without documented maltreatment, and the community group, for the total score and five subscale scores. Then the discrimination of scores assessed by the CTQ-J were calculated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and compared with documented childhood maltreatment experiences from institutionalized adolescents. Results Internal consistency was ‘good’ to ‘acceptable’ for the CTQ-J in the categories of emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional neglect (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.74). In each maltreatment type, the institutionalized group with documented maltreatment experiences showed significantly higher CTQ-J scores than the community group. The area under the curve (AUC) showed higher discrimination for the total score of the CTQ-J (0.95, 95% confidence interval: 0.90-0.99), and each type of child maltreatment (all AUC: 0.98-0.86). Conclusion This study has demonstrated that the CTQ-J may be used as a reliable tool for childhood maltreatment experience assessment among Japanese adolescents. It is suggested that the CTQ-J has validity by predicting child maltreatment experiences documented in the child welfare records.

Parental mentalization: A critical literature review of mind-mindedness, parental insightfulness and parental reflective functioning

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-105
Author(s):  
Flavia L Medrea ◽  
Oana Benga
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Reflective Functioning ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Integrative Review ◽  
Comprehensive Understanding ◽  
Parental Reflective Functioning ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Methodological Aspects ◽  
Critical Literature

Parental mentalization captures the parent’s abilities to represent his/her child as a psychological agent and the parent’s proclivity to understand and interpret child’s behavior in terms of mental states. Under this label, the literature emphasizes three different constructs: mind-mindedness, parental reflective functioning and insightfulness. Presently, there is no integrative review addressing all three constructs comprehensively through a comparative analysis. Furthermore, there is some confusion as to where the concepts overlap and differ, how they are distinctively operationalized and which measures are used to tap into each one of them. To address this issue, this article aims to synthesize the literature in a critical manner, reviewing mind-mindedness, parental reflective functioning and insightfulness. This study identifies key theoretical and methodological aspects of parental mentalization constructs (e.g., definition and conceptualization, measurements, parental and child correlates, strengths and weaknesses). Moreover, the constructs are compared based on their similarities and differences regarding definition, conceptualization and measurements. Finally, the paper offers some directions for further research. This review informs research in the field by providing an integrative and comprehensive understanding of parental mentalization.

Punitive Parental Discipline Among Adult Victims of Child Abuse

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
M. Mitkovic ◽  
D. Lecic Tosevski ◽  
S. Popovic Deusic ◽  
M. Pejovic Milovancevic
Keyword(s):  
Childhood Abuse ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Parenting Practices ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Parental Discipline ◽  
Childhood Trauma Questionnaire ◽  
Punitive Discipline ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Difference

Aims:It has been shown that abusive experiences in childhood may be related to specific behavior patterns manifested in adulthood, especially those that refer to negative parenting practices. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the use of punitive parental discipline and the childhood abuse trauma in parents.Method:Sixty six parents (30 males, 36 females, age 45.92±8.79 yrs, predominantly urban) completed the socio-demographic questionnaire, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and the punitive discipline self-report measure.Results:The frequency of use of punitive discipline between parents with and without the history of abuse was not significantly different (t=-1.298; p>0.05). The difference was not found neither among fathers (t=-0.047; p>0.05) nor among mothers (t=-1.951; p>0.05). Emotional abuse was the only type of childhood maltreatment related to the use of punitive discipline (r=0.393; p< 0.01). This relationship was found among both fathers (r=0.428; p< 0.05) and mothers (r=0.371; p< 0.05). In females, the use of punitive discipline was additionally related to the history of emotional neglect (r=0.379; p< 0.05).Conclusion:The findings may emphasize the need for identification and modification of the parental discipline strategies in adult victims of child emotional abuse and neglect.

Potential of ‘stacking’ early childhood interventions to reduce inequities in learning outcomes

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (12) ◽  
pp. 1078-1086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carly Molloy ◽  
Meredith O'Connor ◽  
Shuaijun Guo ◽  
Colleen Lin ◽  
Christopher Harrop ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Home Visiting ◽  
Child Outcomes ◽  
Cumulative Risk ◽  
Cumulative Effect ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Children's Reading ◽  
Early Childhood Interventions ◽  
Children’S Reading

BackgroundEarly childhood interventions are critical for reducing child health and development inequities. While most research focuses on the efficacy of single interventions, combining multiple evidence-based strategies over the early years of a child’s life may yield greater impact. This study examined the association between exposure to a combination of five evidence-based services from 0 to 5 years on children’s reading at 8–9 years.MethodsData from the nationally representative birth cohort (n=5107) of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children were utilised. Risk and exposure measures across five services from 0 to 5 years were assessed: antenatal care, nurse home-visiting, early childhood education and care, parenting programme and the early years of school. Children’s reading at 8–9 years was measured using a standardised direct assessment. Linear regression analyses examined the cumulative effect of five services on reading. Interaction terms were examined to determine if the relationship differed as a function of level of disadvantage.ResultsA cumulative benefit effect of participation in more services and a cumulative risk effect when exposed to more risks was found. Each additional service that the child attended was associated with an increase in reading scores (b=9.16, 95% CI=5.58 to 12.75). Conversely, each additional risk that the child was exposed to was associated with a decrease in reading skills (b=−14.03, 95% CI=−16.61 to −11.44). Effects were similar for disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged children.ConclusionThis study supports the potential value of ‘stacking’ early interventions across the early years of a child’s life to maximise impacts on child outcomes.

scholarly journals Nurturing attachments group: A virtual group intervention for adults caring for traumatised children in the context of COVID-19

2022 ◽  
pp. 135910452110618
Author(s):  
Matthew Lewis ◽  
Steven Stirk ◽  
Harriet Collie ◽  
Yasmin Ansbro ◽  
Rachel Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Feasibility Study ◽  
Group Intervention ◽  
Reflective Functioning ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Parenting Strategies ◽  
Developmental Trauma ◽  
Parental Reflective Functioning ◽  
Virtual Group ◽  
Group A ◽  
Pilot Feasibility Study

Background: Evidence indicates that the more traditional and behavioural parenting strategies are ineffective when parenting a child who has experienced developmental trauma. Recognising the need to parent with an attachment focus, the current paper evaluates the effectiveness of running the [Enfys] Nurturing Attachments Group, virtually, within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A pilot feasibility study evaluated eight bespoke groups. Consenting professionals and co-professionals completed the Brief Parental Self-Efficacy Scale (BFSS), Care Questionnaire (CQ) and the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ). Results: One hundred forty individuals attended the groups, with 51 (36%) completing both pre-and post-measures. The results provide evidence that professionals and co-professionals reported statistically significant positive increases on both the BPSS ( d = .55) and CQ ( d = .62). For the PRFQ, the results showed a statistically significant decrease on the Pre-mentalising sub scale, a non-significant mid-range score for Certainty about Mental States and a non-significant increase for Parental Interest and Curiosity in Mental States. Conclusion: The study has demonstrated initial viability of effectively facilitating the [Enfys] Nurturing Attachments Group, virtually. Importantly, it has also shown that the group can be run with professionals alongside co-professionals.

scholarly journals Childhood Maltreatment Predicts Specific Types of Dysfunctional Attitudes in Participants With and Without Depression

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raj Jugessur ◽  
Yan Zhang ◽  
Xuemei Qin ◽  
Mi Wang ◽  
Xiaowen Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Attitude Scale ◽  
Dysfunctional Attitudes ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Childhood Trauma Questionnaire ◽  
Physical Neglect

Background: Studies have shown a strong association between childhood maltreatment (CM) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Dysfunctional attitudes (DAs) play a crucial role in the development of MDD. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether (1) DAs are associated with CM, (2) specific CM types predict specific types of DAs, and (3) higher childhood trauma counts (CTCs) predict more DAs.Methods: One hundred seventy-one MDD participants and 156 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled for the study. CM was assessed retrospectively with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. DAs were evaluated using the Chinese version of the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale–Form A (C-DAS-A). A series of analyses, including multiple analyses of covariance and hierarchical regression analyses, were used in this study to examine the hypotheses.Results: The proportion of CM was 60.2% in the MDD group and 44.2% in the HC group. The 2 × 2 analysis of covariance results showed no interaction effect between CM and MDD on C-DAS-A total score. When the factor scores replaced the C-DAS-A total score, a similar trend was observed. Within the MDD group, emotional abuse (EA) predicted two forms of DAs: self-determination type and overall DAs; physical neglect (PN) was predictive of attraction and repulsion-type DAs. Higher childhood trauma counts significantly predicted more types of DAs in the MDD group.Conclusion: DAs are a trait feature of CM. EA and PN predict specific types of DAs in MDD patients. Higher CTCs predict more DAs in MDD patients.

scholarly journals Recognition of children’s emotional facial expressions among mothers reporting a history of childhood maltreatment

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0243083
Author(s):  
Jessica Turgeon ◽  
Annie Bérubé ◽  
Caroline Blais ◽  
Annie Lemieux ◽  
Amélie Fournier
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Emotional Facial Expressions ◽  
Childhood Trauma Questionnaire ◽  
History Of ◽  
Physical Neglect

Several studies have shown that child maltreatment is associated with both positive and negative effects on the recognition of facial emotions. Research has provided little evidence of a relation between maltreatment during childhood and young adults’ ability to recognize facial displays of emotion in children, an essential skill for a sensitive parental response. In this study, we examined the consequences of different forms of maltreatment experienced in childhood on emotion recognition during parenthood. Participants included sixty-three mothers of children aged 2 to 5 years. Retrospective self-reports of childhood maltreatment were assessed using the short form of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Emotion recognition was measured using a morphed facial emotion identification task of all six basic emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise). A Path Analysis via Structural Equation Model revealed that a history of physical abuse is related to a decreased ability to recognize both fear and sadness in children, whereas emotional abuse and sexual abuse are related to a decreased ability to recognize anger in children. In addition, emotional neglect is associated with an increased ability to recognize anger, whereas physical neglect is associated with less accuracy in recognizing happiness in children’s facial emotional expressions. These findings have important clinical implications and expand current understanding of the consequences of childhood maltreatment on parents’ ability to detect children’s needs.

School age effects of minding the baby—An attachment-based home-visiting intervention—On parenting and child behaviors

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Amalia Londono Tobon ◽  
Eileen Condon ◽  
Lois S. Sadler ◽  
Margaret L. Holland ◽  
Linda C. Mayes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Visiting ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
School Age ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Child Behaviors ◽  
Early Life Adversity ◽  
Child Relationship ◽  
Early Childhood Interventions

Abstract Multiple interventions have been developed to improve the caregiver–child relationship as a buffer to the effects of early life adversity and toxic stress. However, relatively few studies have evaluated the long-term effects of these early childhood interventions, particularly on parenting and childhood behaviors. Here we describe the early school-age follow-up results of a randomized controlled trial of Minding the Baby ® (MTB), a reflective, attachment-based, trauma-informed, preventive home-visiting intervention for first-time mothers and their infants. Results indicate that mothers who participated in MTB are less likely to show impaired mentalizing compared to control mothers two to eight years after the intervention ended. Additionally, MTB mothers have lower levels of hostile and coercive parenting, and their children have lower total and externalizing problem behavior scores when compared to controls at follow-up. We discuss our findings in terms of their contribution to understanding the long-term parenting and childhood socio-emotional developmental effects of early preventive interventions for stressed populations.

scholarly journals Moderating effects of childhood maltreatment on associations between social information processing and adult aggression

2011 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 1293-1304 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Chen ◽  
E. F. Coccaro ◽  
R. Lee ◽  
K. C. Jacobson
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Social Information Processing ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Social Information ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Childhood Trauma Questionnaire ◽  
Physical Neglect

BackgroundAssociations between early life maltreatment, social information processing (SIP) and aggression in childhood and adolescence have been widely documented. Few studies have examined the importance of childhood maltreatment independent of SIP in the etiology of adult aggression. Furthermore, moderating effects of childhood maltreatment on the SIP–aggression links have not been explored.MethodHierarchical, multi-level models were fitted to data from n=2752 twins aged 20–55 years from the PennTwins Cohort. Adult aggression was assessed with the Life History of Aggression questionnaire. Childhood maltreatment was measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Two aspects of SIP were examined: hostile attribution biases (HAB); negative emotional responses (NER).ResultsChildhood maltreatment was positively correlated with adult aggression, independently of HAB and NER. In addition, childhood maltreatment moderated the relationships between both aspects of SIP and adult aggression. Specifically, the relationship between NER and aggression was stronger among individuals with higher levels of childhood maltreatment and NER was not associated with aggression for adults who experienced low levels of childhood maltreatment. Moderating effects of childhood maltreatment on the NER–aggression link were supported for total childhood maltreatment, emotional neglect and emotional abuse. In contrast, HAB was more strongly associated with adult aggression at lower levels of emotional abuse and physical neglect.ConclusionsThe current study provides insight into the mechanisms by which early life experiences influence adult aggression. Our findings suggest that childhood maltreatment may not only lead to increased levels of aggression in adulthood but may also modify the associations between SIP and adult aggression.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document