Model of Maltreatment

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Model of Maltreatment

• Explain pattern of occurrences and
  non-occurrences of maltreatment
• Describe process by which maltreatment is
  transmitted from one person to another

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Thesis

• Insecure attachment is a critical concept in
  regard to both the origin of family maltreatment
  and the rehabilitation of families.

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Attachment Theory Postulates

• Attachment relationships important for individual
  functioning at all ages
• Primary function of attachment relationships to
  promote protection and survival of young
• Individuals actual behavior determined by
  interplay of situational factors and previous
  experience with similar situations

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Attachment Theory Postulates

• Patterns of attachment behavior affect direction
  of childrens developmental course
• Effect of IWM (insecure) is to change behavior in
  way that makes current attachments more stressful
  and future attachments less likely to be secure
• Attachment problems defined in terms of how
  successful relationship is in providing
  sufficient security such that person freed to
  attend to others aspects of lives

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Internal Working Models

• Abusing Mother
• model of others tied to issues of
  conflict, control and rejection
• self-perception involves coercion and
  victimization
• accompanying affect anger

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Internal Working Models

• Neglecting Mother
• model of others center around concept of
  hopelessness
• self-perception ineffective
• accompanying affect emptiness and depression

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Internal Working Models

• Adequate Mothers
• model of others centers around ideas of
  competence and reciprocity
• self-perception capable of getting support and
  providing support to others
• accompanying affect satisfaction

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Hypothesis 1

• Individuals in maltreating families expected to
  form insecure attachments with family members
• child to parent
• parent to own parents, partners, children
• distorted internal representational models
  underlie insecure attachments

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Hypothesis 1

• Abuse abused children form insecure attachments,
  particularly the anxious/avoidant pattern
• Abusing mothers are more harsh, interfering,
  controlling and negative toward children
• Abusing mother-partner relationships more
  non-egalitarian

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Hypothesis 1

• Neglect children form insecure attachments,
  particularly anxious/avoidant pattern
• Children are passive or overly compliant
• Neglecting parents have problem with autonomy
  from family of origin

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Hypothesis 2 Internal Conflict

• It is hypothesized that insecure attachments will
  be associated with conflicting impulses within
  the individual that might lead to behavior
  otherwise considered paradoxical.

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Hypothesis 2

• Abused children defend and protect the
  maltreating parent
• Engage in compulsive caregiving
• Abusive mothers interpret child anger as
  rejection dont want anyone else to nurture
  child chooses unhealthy partners

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Hypothesis 2

• Neglected child needs but rarely seeks comfort
  and not comforted when receives comfort and
  support
• Neglecting adults withdraw from relationships
  deny feelings of loneliness/anger

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Hypothesis 3 Coping with Parents

• Different types of maltreatment will be
  associated with different organizations of child
  behavior relevant to the childrens interaction
  with a parent.

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Hypothesis 3

• Abused infants more difficult than nonabused
  infants in interaction with mothers
• Not temperament
• When older, are passive, vigilant, fearful and
  compliant or
• Are resistant and negative

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Hypothesis 3

• Neglected children intensify behavior to get
  response or give up and withdraw

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Hypothesis 4 Coping with the Environment

• Styles of interpersonal behavior will be related
  to the effectiveness of the childrens
  exploration of their environment.

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Hypothesis 4

• Abused children have lower DQs than nonabused
• Compliant abused higher than normal DQs
  passive/withdrawn abused very low DQs
• Neglected children are helpless and unable to
  explore effectively

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Hypothesis 5 Niche Picking

• Behavior patterns of family members and
  attachment relationships would be expected to
  affect other aspects of their social ecology,
  such as social networks, employment, and, for the
  children, school experiences.

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Hypothesis 5

• Abused children are aggressive with peers
• Abused adolescent boys-delinquency
  girls-promiscuity
• Abusing mothers have unstable social
  relationships and unstable work histories

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Hypothesis 5

• Neglected children either withdraw from peers or
  have disorganized, active and aggressive
  interactions
• Neglectful mothers are socially isolated

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Hypothesis 6 Adaptation

• Childrens patterns of behavior would be
  predicted to be adaptive in the immediate sense
  of promoting immediate survival while being
  maladaptive in the long run in the sense of
  personal mental health.

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Hypothesis 6

• Abused children who use compulsive/ compliant
  strategy develop excessive social vigilance
  develop superficial compliance and inhibit anger
• Are seen by others as manipulative
• Sees self as worthy of love only when compliant
  sees others as powerful and hostile

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Hypothesis 6

• Abused children who remain overtly angry and
  resistant risk continued abuse and consequences
  of own pervasive anger
• View of others is negative view of self includes
  justifications of own angry behavior
• Adults who were abused but dont abuse are more
  open about their anger

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Hypothesis 6

• Neglected children those who do explore face
  danger because no one watching out for them
• Some neglected (extreme passivity/depression)
  never explore or learn strategies to engage
  parents