title: Relational Interventions for Maltreated Children.
abstract: Child maltreatment may be best characterized as a pathogenic relational experience which primarily occurs in the mother-child relationship. As such, enhancing the mother-child relationship is the key process that should be targeted in intervention approaches for child maltreatment. Two salient and modifiable components of the mother-child relationship are highlighted: maternal sensitivity and attachment organization. It is argued, from a developmental psychopathology perspective, why focusing on these issues hold the most promise for interrupting negative developmental cascades and promoting resilience among maltreated children. Utilization of a tiered approach to delivering increasingly intensive relational interventions is recommended as are future directions for translational research and dissemination.
authors.affiliation: University of Notre Dame.
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Valentino
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D009769:Object Attachment; D055500:Resilience, Psychological