Attachment in adults with intellectual disabilities: preliminary investigation of the psychometric properties of the manchester attachment scale-third party observational measure.

BACKGROUND: The Manchester Attachment Scale-Third party observational measure (MAST) was developed to assess secure attachment style for adults with intellectual disabilities. The psychometric properties of the MAST were examined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Professional carers (N = 40) completed the MAST and measures related to the construct of attachment theory [Edward Zigler-Yale Personality Questionnaire (EZPQ), Emotional Rating Scale (ERS) and the Learning Disability Casemix Scale (LDCS)] regarding individuals with an intellectual disability (N = 57). Individuals with an intellectual disability (N = 14) completed the Self-report Assessment of Attachment Security (SRAAS). RESULTS: The MAST was found to have good internal consistency, test-retest reliability and convergent validity. MAST scores were negatively correlated with level of intellectual disability and challenging behaviour (CB) as measured by LDCS. CONCLUSIONS: Support was provided for the reliability and validity of the MAST and a relationship between attachment security, level of intellectual disability and CB. The results of the study and implications of attachment theory for service provision are discussed.

Content and style of speech from mothers with schizophrenia towards their infants.

Schizophrenia can affect verbal communication and relational processes, but how it might disrupt maternal infant-directed (ID) speech is unknown. Maternal speech characteristics were coded, blind to clinical information, from brief videotaped mother-infant interactions of 14 mothers with schizophrenia and 36 mothers with similar hospitalisation but with other clinical diagnoses. Compared with the non-schizophrenia group, the speech of mothers with schizophrenia was less infant-focused. Infant-focused content was also predicted by maternal age, but not by duration of hospitalisation or infant gender. Mothers with schizophrenia also used significantly fewer songs or rhymes than the comparison group, and showed a trend towards fewer negative comments. Speech prosody/content deviations were rarely observed in either group, and no differences were found in speech rate or structure. The marked lack of ID speech content of mothers with schizophrenia reflects low maternal sensitivity, perhaps due to 'theory of mind' impairment and blunted affect, and may contribute to the early developmental vulnerability of their children.