Abstract
Videotapes of 20 mentally ill and 20 matched well mothers with their three month through 36‐month‐old‐children were analyzed in a two‐part study. Part I tested the usefulness of the Maternal Sensitivity Scale and the Maternal Effectiveness Scale in discriminating mentally ill and well mother‐child dyads. Part II analyzed the interactions of those dyads that were rated low on the scales in Part I (n = 13) to explore maladaptive patterns of behavior which may explain how the insensitivity and ineffectiveness unfolded. Seven characteristics that were observed to contribute to the interactive disorganization in these 13 dyads are described and discussed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 272-286 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Infant Mental Health Journal |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1983 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health