Citation

Milan S, Lewis J, Ethier K, Kershaw T, Ickovics JR. J. Abnorm. Child Psychol. 2004; 32(3): 249-261.

Affiliation

Department of Epidemiology and Public Health and Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale School of Medicine, 135 College Street, Suite 323, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA. stephanie.milan@yale.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

15228174

Abstract

Using attachment theory as a framework, this paper examines how pregnant adolescents' experiences of physical maltreatment during childhood influence the subsequent mother-infant relationship in 203 low-income adolescents followed from the 3rd trimester of pregnancy through the 1st year of parenthood. The relation between physical maltreatment history and early difficulty in the mother-infant relationship was mediated by adolescents' evaluations of the relationship with their primary caretaker and the feelings they associated with motherhood measured prior to childbirth. In addition, a supportive romantic relationship during pregnancy acted as a protective factor by moderating the impact of maltreatment history on the quality of the subsequent mother-infant relationship. Findings support the importance of assessments and interventions that consider the social context and relational history of pregnant and parenting adolescents.

Language: en