A follow-up study of posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression in Australian victims of domestic violence.

Although posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression are acknowledged consequences of domestic violence, little information is available on the course of recovery over time and factors that may mediate positive outcome. Fifty-nine women were assessed for the presence of PTSD and levels of anxiety and depression at time of shelter residence and again one year later. Results at follow-up indicated a significant reduction in the incidence of PTSD, although a substantial number of women continued to report a range of posttrauma symptoms. There were also significant reductions in the levels of anxiety and depression over the 12-month period. Findings indicated the particular importance of safety and the presence of social support as prerequisites for recovery.

Influence of negative childhood experiences on psychological functioning, social support, and parenting for mothers recovering from addiction.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted with mothers recovering from drug and alcohol addiction and had three aims: first, to understand the range of negative childhood events these mothers experienced; second, to understand their current level of distress and their parenting experiences; and third, to examine the relationships between negative childhood events and parenting experiences. METHOD: Forty-six mothers participated in a cross-sectional exploratory study and completed a range of self-report measures, including the Child Abuse & Trauma Scale, Social Support Inventory, CES-D, Parenting Stress Index, and the Parenting Scale. RESULTS: When compared to norming samples these mothers reported significantly higher levels of aversive childhood experiences, psychological distress, parenting stress and use of problematic parenting behaviors along with lower levels of social support. Higher levels of neglect and growing up in a negative home environment were significantly correlated with lower levels of social support from the family, higher levels of distress and parenting stress, and greater use of problematic parenting behaviors. CONCLUSION: For this sample there is a greater incidence of aversive childhood experiences and greater problems with maternal functioning. Mothers recovering from addiction have an additional need for clinical attention towards issues of recovery from childhood abuse and responding to parenting difficulties with their own children.

The psychological evaluation of child sexual abuse using the Louisville Behavior Checklist and Human Figure Drawing.

Accurately detecting victims of child sexual abuse when physical evidence is lacking is a problem frequently faced by clinicians. This study investigated whether Human Figure Drawings and the Louisville Behavior Checklist could be used to accurately identify sexually abused children, mental health clinic-referred children, and community children. Discriminant function analysis indicated that the groups differed significantly on the measures. There was some misclassification of individual children on the basis of their checklist and drawing scores. Results suggested limited support for the Louisville Behavior Checklist but caution in using Human Figure Drawings in the assessment of sexual abuse.

Maternal-infant attachment: a developmental perspective.

The formation of a close and satisfying maternal-infant bond is recognized as being an important contribution to the optimal psychosocial development of the child. However the relationship that develops between mother and infant is increasingly seen as an ongoing developmental process rather than a postpartum event, occurring in the first few days after birth. It is also being increasingly recognized that there are a multitude of factors during this period which affect the development of this relationship (14, 15, 16, 17). The father too plays an important role at this time, and his reactions to the birth as well as the support he is able to offer his wife are determinants in the evolving maternal-infant relationship. The view of bonding as an ongoing developmental process influenced by both ante- and postnatal factors, indicates some flexibility of response on the part of the mother when things do not go according to plan. For example, separation of mother and infant in the case of a premature delivery need not have an adverse effect on the development of the maternal-infant relationship provided that there is adequate support for the parents. Well trained I.C.U. staff and hospital practices that are sensitive to the needs of the parents at this time are important determinants here. It is felt that the success of the video programme, and the results of the long-term follow-up programme conducted at the Queen Victoria Hospital support this developmental view.

Video recording in an acute care perinatology unit.

Intensive care of the newborn is usually unexpected, often involves emergency retrieval, is sometimes administered in life-threatening disorders, and is always extremely anxiety-provoking and disruptive for the families involved. All this occurs at a time when mother-infant bonding is so important. The use of a video-recording system in these acute care situations is described, with particular case examples illustrating its value.