ERIC Number: EJ733868
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Mar
Pages: 12
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0012-1649
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Available Date: N/A
Unresolved States of Mind, Disorganized Attachment Relationships, and Disrupted Interactions of Adolescent Mothers and their Infants
Madigan, Sheri; Moran, Greg; Pederson, David R.
Developmental Psychology, v42 n2 p293-304 Mar 2006
The links between unresolved maternal attachment status, disrupted maternal interaction in play situations, and disorganized attachment relationships were examined in a study of 82 adolescent mother-infant dyads. Maternal interactive behavior was measured using the Atypical Maternal Behavior Instrument for Assessment and Classification coding system. Additional rating scales were developed to correspond to the 5 dimensions of disrupted maternal behavior outlined by E. Bronfman, E. Parsons, and K. Lyons-Ruth (1999). A robust association was observed between disrupted maternal behavior and disorganized attachment. Ratings of disrupted maternal behavior revealed that disorganized attachment relationships were strongly related to ratings of fearful/disoriented behavior. Moreover, mothers who were unresolved were more likely than not-unresolved mothers to show disrupted patterns of interaction with their infants. Regression analyses suggested that disrupted behavior statistically mediated the association between unresolved status and disorganized attachment relationships.
Descriptors: Interaction, Infants, Rating Scales, Mothers, Attachment Behavior, Developmental Psychology, Psychological Evaluation, Adolescents, Parent Child Relationship, Case Studies, Regression (Statistics)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
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Author Affiliations: N/A