The reporting of maltreatment experiences during the Adult Attachment Interview in a sample of pregnant adolescents
- PMID: 22385310
- DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2012.661230
The reporting of maltreatment experiences during the Adult Attachment Interview in a sample of pregnant adolescents
Abstract
This present student examines maltreatment experiences reported by 55 high-risk pregnant adolescents in response to a slightly adapted version of the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI; George, Kaplan, & Main, 1996 ). Previous research has suggested that the rates of unresolved states of mind regarding trauma in response to the AAI may be underestimated due to the lack of direct questions and associated probes regarding physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. We address this concern by including behaviorally phrased questions and probes regarding maltreatment experiences into the original format of the AAI and examine the concordance between reports of maltreatment experiences in response to the AAI and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Maltreatment experiences in response to the AAI were evaluated using the Maltreatment Classification Scale developed by Barnett, Manly, and Cicchetti (1993). We also examine the association between unresolved states of mind and dissociation using the Adolescent Dissociative Experience Scale. Results revealed a significant concordance between reports of maltreatment in response to the AAI and CTQ measures. Reports of maltreatment were prevalent in this sample: across the AAI and CTQ measures, 96% of pregnant adolescents reported some form of emotional abuse, 84% physical abuse, 59% sexual abuse, and 88% reported neglect. Sexual abuse history uniquely predicted unresolved status in response to the AAI. Self-reports of dissociation were significantly associated with unresolved states of mind. Results suggest that the inclusion of behaviorally focused questions and probes regarding maltreatment in the AAI protocol can further contribute to the clinical and theoretical value of this tool.
Similar articles
-
Childhood maltreatment, complex trauma symptoms, and unresolved attachment in an at-risk sample of adolescent mothers.Attach Hum Dev. 2007 Jun;9(2):139-61. doi: 10.1080/14616730701349721. Attach Hum Dev. 2007. PMID: 17508314
-
Childhood maltreatment, posttraumatic stress symptomatology, and adolescent dating violence: considering the value of adolescent perceptions of abuse and a trauma mediational model.Dev Psychopathol. 2001 Fall;13(4):847-71. Dev Psychopathol. 2001. PMID: 11771911
-
The linkages among childhood maltreatment, adolescent mental health, and self-compassion in child welfare adolescents.Child Abuse Negl. 2011 Oct;35(10):887-98. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2011.07.003. Epub 2011 Oct 20. Child Abuse Negl. 2011. PMID: 22018519
-
Child maltreatment: the neurobiological aspects of posttraumatic stress disorder.J Evid Based Soc Work. 2013;10(4):276-84. doi: 10.1080/10911359.2011.566468. J Evid Based Soc Work. 2013. PMID: 23879352 Review.
-
Neurocognitive deficits in children and adolescents following maltreatment: Neurodevelopmental consequences and neuropsychological implications of traumatic stress.Appl Neuropsychol Child. 2017 Jan-Mar;6(1):64-78. doi: 10.1080/21622965.2015.1079712. Epub 2016 Apr 6. Appl Neuropsychol Child. 2017. PMID: 27050166 Review.
Cited by
-
Demographic characteristics and needs of the Canadian urban adolescent mother and her child.Paediatr Child Health. 2015 Mar;20(2):72-6. doi: 10.1093/pch/20.2.72. Paediatr Child Health. 2015. PMID: 25838779 Free PMC article.
-
Interventions from pregnancy to two years after birth for parents experiencing complex post-traumatic stress disorder and/or with childhood experience of maltreatment.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 May 4;5(5):CD014874. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD014874.pub2. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023. PMID: 37146219 Free PMC article.
-
Affect dysregulation, psychoform dissociation, and adult relational fears mediate the relationship between childhood trauma and complex posttraumatic stress disorder independent of the symptoms of borderline personality disorder.Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2018 Jan 23;9(1):1400878. doi: 10.1080/20008198.2017.1400878. eCollection 2018. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2018. PMID: 29410773 Free PMC article.
-
Childhood abuse and neglect and insecure attachment states of mind in adulthood: Prospective, longitudinal evidence from a high-risk sample.Dev Psychopathol. 2017 May;29(2):347-363. doi: 10.1017/S0954579417000037. Dev Psychopathol. 2017. PMID: 28401830 Free PMC article.
-
Exploring the meaning of unresolved loss and trauma in more than 1,000 Adult Attachment Interviews.Dev Psychopathol. 2023 May;35(2):587-603. doi: 10.1017/S0954579421001735. Epub 2022 Mar 11. Dev Psychopathol. 2023. PMID: 35272727 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical