Hostile-Helpless state of mind as further evidence of adult disorganized states of mind in neglecting families.

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.

Validity of CBCL-derived PTSD and dissociation scales: further evidence in a sample of neglected children and adolescents.

There is growing evidence that child neglect is an important risk factor for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociation. Considering that the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is a widely used measure, the possibility of using validated CBCL-derived trauma symptoms scales could be particularly useful to better understand how trauma symptoms develop among neglected children and adolescents. This study examined the factor structure of three CBCL-derived measures of PTSD and dissociation (namely, PTSD scale, Dissociation scale, and PTSD/Dissociation scale) in a sample of 239 neglected children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years using the latest version of CBCL (CBCL 6-18).

Trauma-related symptoms in neglected preschoolers and affective quality of mother-child communication.

This study (a) assessed whether child neglect is associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociative symptoms in the preschool period and (b) examined the role of quality of mother-child affective communication in the development of trauma-related symptoms among neglected children. Participants were 33 neglected and 72 non-neglected preschoolers (mean age = 60 months). Neglected children were recruited from the Child Protection Agencies.

The role of trauma symptoms in the development of behavioral problems in maltreated preschoolers.

Objective: This study assessed the mediating role of trauma symptoms in the relation between child maltreatment and behavioral problems. It is based on the postulate that child maltreatment is a severe form of chronic relational trauma that has damaging consequences on the development of children's behavioral regulation.

Method: Participants were 34 maltreated and 64 non-maltreated children (mean age=60 months; range: 46 to 72 months), all from economically disadvantaged families.

Using neuropsychological profiles to classify neglected children with or without physical abuse.

Objective: The aim of this study is twofold: First, to investigate whether cognitive functions can contribute to differentiating neglected children with or without physical abuse compared to comparison participants; second, to demonstrate the detrimental impact of children being victimized by a combination of different types of maltreatment.

Methodology: Seventy-nine children aged 6-12 years and currently receiving Child Protection Services because of one of two types of maltreatment (neglect with physical abuse, n=56; neglect without physical abuse, n=28) were compared with a control group of 53 children matched for age, gender, and annual family income. The neuropsychological assessment focused on motor performance, attention, memory and learning, visual-motor integration, language, frontal/executive functions, and intelligence.

A longitudinal study of the effects of chronic maltreatment on children's behavioral and emotional problems.

Objective: The aim of the present longitudinal study was to examine the links between chronicity of maltreatment and child behavioral and emotional problems.

Method: Forty-nine maltreated children (32 victims of continuous, or chronic, maltreatment; 17 victims of transitory maltreatment) and their mothers were evaluated in their homes three times over a period of 6 years: at the time of recruitment (T1), 3 years following the initial evaluation (T2) and 6 years following the initial evaluation (T3). The home visits were designed to obtain longitudinal assessments of different types of behavioral and emotional problems in the children, and of the mothers' self-reported potential for abuse to help determine the chronic/transitory aspect of the maltreatment situation.

[Life events and trauma in chronic negligent mothers].

The present study examines more closely the chronic behaviors of maltreating mothers. Events that these mothers have experienced during childhood are examined, experiences including abuse, placement, separation, bereavement, rejection, neglect, lack of love and role reversal. Signs of unresolved trauma found in the discourse of mothers, such as dissociation, are also studied.