title: Distorted maternal mental representations and atypical behavior in a clinical sample of violence-exposed mothers and their toddlers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether maternal violence-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), reflective functioning (RF), and/or quality of mental representations of her child predict maternal behavior within a referred sample of interpersonal violence-exposed mothers and their children (ages 8-50 months).
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-one dyads completed two videotaped visits including measures of maternal mental representations and behavior.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Negative and distorted maternal mental representations predicted atypical behavior (Cohen's d>1.0). While maternal PTSD and RF impacted mental representations, no significant relationships were found between PTSD, RF, and overall atypical caregiving behavior. Severity of maternal PTSD was however positively correlated with the avoidant caregiving behavior subscale.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Maternal mental representations of her child are useful risk-indicators that mark dysregulation of trauma-associated emotions in the caregiver.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA. dss11@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Schechter
authors.forename: Susan W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Coates
authors.forename: Tammy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaminer
authors.forename: Tammy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Coots
authors.forename: Charles H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Zeanah
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: Irvin S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Schonfeld
authors.forename: Randall D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Liebowitz
authors.forename: Kimberly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Trabka
authors.forename: Jaime E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: McCaw
authors.forename: Michael M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Myers
mesh_terms: D018585:Battered Women / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires