title: Child maltreatment, attachment security, and internal representations of mother and mother-child relationships.
abstract: Attachment security and internal representations of mothers, and of the mother-child 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 mother-child 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.
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology, University of Rochester, Mt. Hope Family Center, Rochester, NY 14608, USA. erin_stronach@urmc.rochester.edu
authors.forename: Erin Pickreign
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Stronach
authors.forename: Sheree L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Toth
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rogosch
authors.forename: Assaf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oshri
authors.forename: Jody Todd
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Manly
authors.forename: Dante
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cicchetti
mesh_terms: D000385:Aid to Families with Dependent Children; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D005793:Generalization, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009769:Object Attachment; D010379:Peer Group; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011203:Poverty; D011386:Projective Techniques; D014163:Transfer, Psychology; D014481:United States