title: Hostile-Helpless state of mind as further evidence of adult disorganized states of mind in neglecting families.
abstract: This study aimed to assess disorganized states of mind in a sample of neglecting and at-risk of neglecting mothers using the recently developed Hostile-Helpless (HH) coding system (Lyons-Ruth et al., 2006) for the Adult Attachment Interview (Main & Goldwyn, 1998). The relation between HH states of mind and mothers' childhood traumas was also examined. Participants were 70 neglecting mothers and at-risk of neglecting mothers. Childhood traumas were assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. HH states of mind were coded from Adult Attachment Interview transcripts by two reliable coders. Results revealed a high prevalence of disorganized states of mind in this sample. Forty-five mothers were classified HH, representing 64% of the entire sample. Most mothers reported at least one form of childhood trauma, with a mean of 2.9 different forms of trauma. Mothers classified HH reported having been emotionally abused, sexually abused and physically neglected more frequently than non-HH mothers. There was no difference between neglecting and at-risk of neglect mothers on HH states of mind and childhood experiences of trauma. These findings are in line with theorization on maltreating mothers' psychological background and they provide further empirical support to the validation of the HH classification system with at-risk populations.
authors.affiliation: Département de psychoéducation, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Canada.
authors.forename: Tristan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Milot
authors.affiliation: Département de psychologie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Canada.
authors.forename: Andra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lorent
authors.affiliation: Département de psychologie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Canada.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: St-Laurent
authors.affiliation: Département de psychologie, Université de Montréal, Canada.
authors.forename: Annie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bernier
authors.affiliation: École de psychologie, Université Laval, Canada.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tarabulsy
authors.affiliation: Département de psychoéducation, Université de Sherbrooke, Canada.
authors.forename: Jean-Pascal
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Lemelin
authors.affiliation: Département de psychologie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Canada.
authors.forename: Louise S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Ethier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000850:Anomie; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D011792:Quebec; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Childhood trauma; Disorganized states of mind; Hostile-Helpless state of mind; Neglecting mothers; Physical neglect