V. Guerriero

Adoptive parenting and attachment: Association of the internal working models between adoptive mothers and their late-adopted children during adolescence

Introduction: Recent literature has shown that the good outcome of adoption would mostly depend on the quality of adoptive parenting, which is strongly associated with the security of parental internal working models (IWMs) of attachment. Specifically, attachment states-of-mind of adoptive mothers classified as free and autonomous and without lack of resolution of loss or trauma could represent a good protective factor for adopted children, previously maltreated and neglected. While most research on adoptive families focused on pre-school and school-aged children, the aim of this study was to assess the concordance of IWMs of attachment in adoptive dyads during adolescence. Method: Our pilot-study involved 76 participants: 30 adoptive mothers (mean age = 51.5 ± 4.3), and their 46 late-adopted adolescents (mean age = 13.9 ± 1.6), who were all aged 4–9 years old at time of adoption (mean age = 6.3 ± 1.5). Attachment representations of adopted adolescents were assessed by the Friend and Family Interview (FFI), while adoptive mothers’ state-of-mind with respect to attachment was classified by the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Adolescents’ verbal intelligence was controlled for. Results: Late-adopted adolescents were classified as follows: 67% secure, 26% dismissing, and 7% preoccupied in the FFI, while their adoptive mothers’ AAI classifications were 70% free-autonomous, 7% dismissing, and 23% unresolved. We found a significant concordance of 70% (32 dyads) between the secure–insecure FFI and AAI classifications. Specifically adoptive mothers with high coherence of transcript and low unresolved loss tend to have late-adopted children with high secure attachment, even if the adolescents’ verbal intelligence made a significant contribution to this prediction. Discussion: Our results provides an empirical contribution to the literature concerning the concordance of attachment in adoptive dyads, highlighting the beneficial impact of highly coherent states-of-mind of adoptive mothers on the attachment representations of their late-adopted adolescent children.

Quando la relazione non funziona: il maltrattamento su bambini con Disturbo dello Spettro Autistico. Una revisione della letteratura

La presente rassegna ha avuto come obiettivo la disamina della letteratura relativa al tema del maltrattamento e dell’abuso subito da bambini affetti da Disturbo dello Spettro Autistico (DSA). Gli studi emersi hanno evidenziato, da una parte, l’elevato rischio di vittimizzazione a cui i bambini con Disturbo dello Spettro Autistico sono esposti e, dall’altra, la scarsita di indagini in grado di fornire informazioni specifiche, soprattutto rispetto all’intervento nelle famiglie. Gli studi esaminati indicano la necessita di stabilire programmi tesi alla prevenzione del maltrattamento e dell’abuso attraverso il miglioramento delle abilita sociali e di problem-solving dei minori e al trattamento delle disfunzioni della relazione genitore-bambino.

Skin to skin interactions. Does the infant massage improve the couple functioning

Transition to parenthood is a critical stage of life due to several changes the couple has to handle. A large body of studies described how transition to parenthood can be linked to the onset of depressive symptoms, as well as the perception of a low social support, and an increased stress, representing a risk for the early mother–baby relationship. Infant massage (IM) emerged as a helpful tool to improve maternal skills in interacting with the baby, and leading toward a decreasing of post-partum symptoms. However, a growing body of literature highlights that men also may experience post-partum diseases, representing an additional risk for the development of the baby. To date, no study observed the impact of the IM on both partners. The aim of the current qualitative research is to observe the impact of the IM on a single couple of parents at childbirth. Pre (Time 1) and post-intervention (Time 3) procedure has been established to observe the changes occurring over the time in the couple. In particular, each member of the couple filled out the EPDS, the BDI-II, the MSPSS, and the PSI-SF both at Time 1 and at Time 3. The treatment (Time 2) was represented by the IM training, and lasted 4 weeks. Findings revealed a decrease in depressive symptoms in both partners, as well as an improvement of their perception of stress related to parental role. No changes has been detected with respect to the perception of social support. The IM seems to be a helpful approach to prevent the establishment of pathological conditions in new parents. Although no direct measures on the child were used, the current qualitative data seem to suggest that the IM may represent a valuable tool to prevent the onset of early negative outcomes of the baby. Further investigations and empirical data are needed to improve the knowledge in this field.

The Effect of Neonatal Massage On Couple Perinatal Depression Symptoms

Introduction Several caregiving activities appear to be compromised by postpartum depression including breastfeeding, sleep routines and well-child visits, such as vaccinations and safety practices. Previous studies highlighted the need for universal screening of maternal and paternal depression, as well as the establishment of early interventions during the postpartum period such as the infant massage for their infants. Aim The goal of the present pilot study is to purpose the neonatal massage as an intervention to decrease the depressive symptoms of the couple during the post partum period. Method Depressive symptoms were evaluated through the Edinburgh Postnatal Depressive Scale (EPDS; Cox, Holden & Sagovsky, 1987) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II; Beck, Steer, Brown, 1996) at 3 months of the baby. In the following 4 weeks, the couple was trained to touch the baby through the neonatal massage techniques. Their interaction was videotaped and assessed through the Assessment Tool for Observation of Mother/Father-infant Interaction (Dumas, Bystrova, Widstrom, 2005). At the end of the training, depressive symptoms were evaluated through the same measures. Results Preliminary findings have shown lower scores of depressive symptoms on the EPDS, and the BDI in both mother and father after the neonatal massage took place. Also parents reported lower complaints of the baby in several area. Conclusion Early intervention during the postnatal period of life of the family may lead toward a greater functioning of the couple, and to a greater sensitive approach with the baby.

Emotions During Pregnancy: Do They Protect From the Risk of Dysregulated Eating Behaviors?

Introduction Pregnancy represents a critical life stage for its physical and emotional changes. Maternal thoughts are often oriented to the worry to lose control on their body, and to their new physical shape. According to this, literature on eating disorder (ED) highlights how pregnancy is usually associated to a temporary interruption of the dysfunctional eating habits due to the move of concerns about the self and the body toward the caregiving of the baby. Aim The goal of the present study is to explore the impact of generalized difficulties in emotion regulation (as a stable trait) versus specific difficulties in emotion regulation (as pregnancy-related) in women with pre-pregnancy eating problems. Method The sample is made by 15 women previously overweight and recruited during their 3 rd trimester of pregnancy. The following measures were administered: Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), Emotional Difficulties Specific to Pregnancy Scale (EDS), and the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Results Preliminary findings have shown how higher scores on the DERS Impulse scale as well as higher difficulties in handling emotional states related to pregnancy (e.g. fear of the delivery) are associated to the existence of dysfunctional eating behaviors during the 3rd trimester. Conclusions Emotion regulation has emerged as a transversal skill during the life cycle. Difficulties in this area seem to represent a stable trait in the individual functioning, with the risk to affect the eating behaviors, as well as the health of the mother and the baby during pregnancy.

Am I Angry or Hungry? Emotion Dysregulation Routes On the Onset of Overweight in Childhood.

Introduction A growing body of research has indicated that difficulties in emotion regulation (ER) are associated to eating disorders as well as to weight changes. However, it has not been clearly investigated the intergenerational transmission of ER and its role on the onset of early feeding and weight problems of the child. Aim The goals of the present study are: 1) to examine the relationship between maternal ER during pregnancy and the feeding practices at 8 months of the baby; 2) and to assess the predictive role of ER on the onset of overweight at 3 years of age. Method The sample is made up by 65 dyads distributed to 2 different groups based on their BMI. During pregnancy they were administered DERS. 8 months after the delivery they were videotaped during the meal time with baby through the Feeding Observational Scale (Ammaniti et al., 2002). Weight outcome of the baby was reported by the mother at 3 years of age. Results Findings has shown that overweight mothers emerged as more emotional dysregulated during pregnancy. Their feeding interaction with the baby was also featured by greater difficulties compared to the control group. ER during pregnancy was able to predict the affective state of the dyad and the interactional conflict during the mealtime at 8 months. The affective state of the dyad at 8 months predicted the weight gain of the baby at 3. Conclusion The maternal and the dyadic emotional functioning play a key role in shaping the risk for childhood obesity.

Parental distress and perceived social support in parents of children with idiopathic epilepsy.

Molecular Imaging of Inflammation Reveals Differences Between Drug-Resistant and Drug-Sensitive Animals in a Chronic Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy