Maternal Unresolved Attachment Status Impedes the Effectiveness of Interventions With Adolescent Mothers
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Children of adolescent mothers are at risk for a variety of developmental difficulties. In the present study, the effectiveness of a brief intervention program designed to support adolescent mothers' sensitivity to their infants' attachment signals was evaluated. Participants were adolescent mothers and their infants who were observed at 6, 12, and 24 months of age. The intervention conducted by clinically trained home visitors consisted of eight home visits between 6 and 12 months in which mothers were provided feedback during the replay of videotaped play interactions. At 12 months, 57% of the mother-infant dyads in the intervention group and 38% of the comparison group dyads were classified as secure in the Strange Situation. Seventy-six percent of the mothers in the intervention group maintained sensitivity from 6 to 24 months compared with 54% of the comparison mothers. Further analyses indicated that the intervention was effective primarily for mothers who were not classified as Unresolved on the Adult Attachment Interview.
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Short-term attachment-based interventions were not effective in fostering attachment security or maternal sensitivity for adolescent mothers who had disorganized states of mind regarding their childhood attachment experiences and/or who had suffered physical or sexual abuse in their childhoods.
“Moran and colleagues [75] reported that short-term attachment-based interventions were not effective in fostering attachment security or maternal sensitivity for adolescent mothers who had disorganized states of mind regarding their childhood attachment experiences and/or who had suffered physical or sexual abuse in their childhoods.”
From Psychoanalytic Interventions with Abusive Parents: An Opportunity for Children’s Mental Health (2022) · cites this paper as [75]
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“Moran and colleagues [75] reported that short-term attachment-based interventions were not effective in fostering attachment security or maternal sensitivity for adolescent mothers who had disorganized states of mind regarding their childhood attachment experiences and/or who had suffered physical or sexual abuse in t…”
Background
- Authors
- Moran, G., Pederson, D. R., & Krupka, A.
- Affiliations
- Western University (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Moran, Greg
- ORCID
- Moran, Greg
- Venue
- Infant Mental Health Journal
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2005-05
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 231-249
- ISSN
- 0163-9641 (ISSN-L)
- 1097-0355
- OpenAlex
- W1974129333
- Cited by
- 88
- References
- 61
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 4.47
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Infant Mental Health Journal (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Scholarship@Western (Western University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Health Canada
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
- Keywords
- adolescent mothers, maternal attachment, unresolved attachment, home visiting intervention, maternal sensitivity, Strange Situation, Adult Attachment Interview, infant development, brief intervention
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