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Biomedical subjects

L A Sroufe

Publications and source records attributed to L A Sroufe.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Continuity and discontinuity in maternal sensitivity at 6, 24, and 42 months in a high-risk sample.

Continuity and discontinuity in maternal sensitivity from 6 and 24 months to 42 months were examined in a sample of 135 disadvantaged mothers and their firstborn children. Sensitivity at 6 and 24 months accounted for 18% of the variance in 42-month maternal sensitivity for boys, 14% for girls. Discontinuity was examined using residual scores. Less maternal sensitivity than predicted was related to stressful environmental and child characteristics for both boys and girls, while greater sensitivity than predicted was related to mothers' experiences of emotional support, girls' positive individual characteristics, and boys who were seen as unengaged.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1988

Breaking the cycle of abuse.

The aim of this study was to identify variables that distinguish mothers who broke the cycle of abuse from mothers who were abused as children and who also abused their own children. Based on maternal interviews and questionnaires completed over a 64-month period, measures of mothers' past and current relationship experiences, stressful life events, and personality characteristics were obtained. Abused mothers who were able to break the abusive cycle were significantly more likely to have received emotional support from a nonabusive adult during childhood, participated in therapy during any period of their lives, and to have had a nonabusive and more stable, emotionally supportive, and satisfying relationship with a mate. Abused mothers who reenacted their maltreatment with their own children experienced significantly more life stress and were more anxious, dependent, immature, and depressed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

The early caregiver-child relationship and attention-deficit disorder with hyperactivity in kindergarten: a prospective study.

Newborn status, ratings of temperament, and heretofore neglected experiential (parenting) antecedents of hyperactivity were evaluated in a prospective, longitudinal investigation. The experiential variables were derived from a developmental theory of arousal modulation in the early years. Patterns of maternal intrusive care, seductive behavior, and overstimulation were assessed at 6 months, 2 years, and 3 1/2 years, respectively. 2 of these 3 variables significantly predicted hyperactivity in kindergarten at age 5 or 6, as determined by clinically validated ratings made by teachers. Of the 38 early child variables, which included neonatal behavioral assessments and ratings of activity level by parents and observers on many occasions during the first 2 1/2 years, only the motor maturity factor from 2 composited Brazelton exams yielded a significant relation. In addition, a measure of distractibility at 42 months was predictive of hyperactivity. Although other child measures may prove to be more powerful than those we tested, it will remain the case that prospective data are a critical arbiter of etiological factors in hyperactivity. Such data have important implications for both diagnosis and treatment.

Attention↗
PubMed1985

Attachment classification from the perspective of infant-caregiver relationships and infant temperament.

Recently a number of investigators have suggested that classification differences in the Ainsworth Strange Situation (anxious and secure patterns of attachment) may be due largely or in part to endogenous temperamental variation. In doing so, these investigators have suggested a dimensional-trait approach in place of a qualitatively different taxonomic approach. Moreover, much evidence is directly contrary to a strong temperament interpretation of attachment patterns (changing attachments, differing attachments with different caregivers, prospective data on the early characteristics of infants later classified as securely or anxiously attached). Other interactionist temperament models currently have not been tested sufficiently. At the same time, a host of research findings support the interpretation that Ainsworth assessments capture aspects of the relationship between infant and caregiver, as derived from the history of their interaction. This includes direct evidence from observations of infants and mothers over time, the influence of varying patterns of care within and between cultures, the impact of factors presumed to influence quality of care (e.g., social support, life stress, caregiver family history), and predictions of later parent behavior from strange situation assessments of infant behavior. The importance of understanding attachment as a relational concept is twofold: it represents a theoretical and paradigmatic shift of importance for many aspects of developmental psychology, and it opens the way for more productive research on temperament, the interaction between temperament and experience, and important process studies of the unfolding of the infant-caregiver relationship.

Anxiety, Separation↗
PubMed1985

Generational boundary dissolution between mothers and their preschool children: a relationship systems approach.

A particular perspective on relationship systems served as the basis for this research. Postulates within this perspective include qualitative aspects of relationships are stable over time, and there are lawful relations among relationships within the same system. Previously, a concept of seductive mother-toddler relationships was initially validated. From the theory surrounding this concept, later forms of this pattern were conceived, and a hypothesis concerning complementary mother-daughter relationships was formulated. In the present research we showed first that the pattern of "seductiveness" was stable, though transformed, from 24 to 42 months. Second, the same mothers were not found to be seductive with male or female siblings. Third, mothers who showed the seductive pattern (almost always with boys) were, as predicted, hostile toward their daughters in a particular way ("derision"). 2 other scales used at 42 months ("nonresponsive intimacy" and "generational boundaries") were elevated for target mother-male dyads and not for mother-daughter pairs. In fact, mothers who were seductive with sons were rated significantly lower on the intimacy scale when seen with daughters than were control mothers. It is suggested that maternal relationships across siblings are coherent, however distinct, and that these connections derive from the totality of the mother's relationship history.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

The domain of developmental psychopathology.

It is the "developmental" component of developmental psychopathology that distinguishes this discipline from abnormal psychology, psychiatry, and even clinical child psychology. At the same time, the focus on individual patterns of adaptation and maladaptation distinguishes this field from the larger discipline of developmental psychology. In this essay a developmental perspective is presented, and the implications of this perspective for research in developmental psychopathology are discussed. A primary consideration is the complexity of the adaptational process, with developmental transformation being the rule. Thus, links between earlier adaptation and later pathology generally will not be simple or direct. It will be necessary to understand both individual patterns of adaptation with respect to salient issues of a given developmental period and the transaction between prior adaptation, maturational change, and subsequent environmental challenges. Some examples are discussed, with special attention to the case of depression.

Anxiety Disorders↗
PubMed1983

The developmental consequence of different patterns of maltreatment.

From a longitudinal study of 267 high risk families, four different patterns of maltreatment were identified. The mothers have been tested, interviewed and observed in a number of situations starting during the last trimester of pregnancy and continuing at regularly scheduled intervals through the preschool period. The four maltreatment groups were: physical abuse; hostile/verbally abusive; psychologically unavailable; and neglecting. A control group of mothers who provided adequate care was selected from the remaining high risk sample. In an earlier follow-up, among the maltreated children a disproportionately large number of infants were found to be anxiously attached to their mothers at 12 and 18 months, and their performance in a problem-solving situation at age two was poor. In the current follow-up, the children were videotaped at 42 months in a "barrier box" and teaching situation, and at 56 months they were observed in a preschool situation. The physically abused children were distractible, lacked persistence, ego control and enthusiasm, and experienced considerable negative emotion. The children whose mothers were psychologically unavailable showed marked increases in maladaptive patterns of functioning from infancy through preschool. As expected, they were avoidant of their mother, angry, noncompliant, and they were highly dependent. The neglected children had the most difficulty pulling themselves together to deal with various tasks. They lacked self-esteem and agency necessary to cope with their environment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

From infant affect expression to symbolic play: the coherence of development in Down syndrome children.

To examine further the coherence of development of a sample of Down syndrome children, assessments were made of the quality and level of play at age 3-5 years. It was found that, with corrections for mental age, the play of these children was similar to that of nonhandicapped children. Moreover, individual differences in the level and quality of play were strongly predicted from Bayley DQ scores obtained at age 2 and by several indexes of affective expressiveness including 1 obtained in the first year of life. This was despite limitations on the performance range represented in the subsample included in this follow-up study. Finally, the various aspects of play, as indexed by 5 separate scales, intercorrelated strongly, suggesting consistent individual differences in the play session itself. All of these findings point to the coherence of development of these children. In addition, it is suggested that early affective assessments are strong predictors of the later functioning of Down syndrome.

Affect↗
PubMed1981

Attachment and early maltreatment.

Attachment outcomes of 31 maltreatment cases (extreme neglect or abuse) selected from a total poverty sample of 267 high-risk mothers were compared at 12 and 18 months to a subsample of 33 cases with a history of excellent care. In accordance with the Bowlby-Ainsworth hypothesis, the maltreatment group was characterized by a low proportion of secure attachment (Ainsworth's group B) at 12 months (38% compared to 75% in the excellent care group and 55% in the remaining total sample); however, differences at 18 months were not significant. Specifically, 50% of the cases with a history of neglect were in Ainsworth's group C (anxious/resistant attachment) at 12 months, compared to usual reports of approximately 10% and compared to 21% in the total poverty sample. Patterns of attachment between 12 and 18 months remained stable for the mother-infant pairs in the excellent care group, however, 52% of the mistreated infants changed classifications. For the neglect subgroup there was considerable movement toward Ainsworth's group A (anxious/avoidant attachment) at 18 months and some movement toward group B. An examination of the case histories of mother-infant pairs indicated that changes in attachment between 12 and 18 months were related to changing life events, support from family, and out-of-home care. These findings are highly tentative as were the findings which suggested that secure attachment within the maltreatment group was associated with the presence of a supportive family member, less chaotic life-style, and, in some instances, a more robust infant.

Child Abuse↗
PubMed1979

The temporal relationship between infant heart rate acceleration and crying in an aversive situation.

The temporal relationship between heart rate (HR) acceleration and crying was examined in 16 8-16-month-old infants. Consistently, the HR acceleration began well before the onset of crying, suggesting that such acceleration is not merely a by-product of crying. The accelerations observed were above and beyond a return to baseline following orienting. The crying itself validates the association between these instances of HR acceleration and negative effect.

Affect↗
PubMed1979

Attachment, positive affect, and competence in the peer group: two studies in construct validation.

2 studies were undertaken to assess the positive affective correlates of secure attachment in infancy and to assess the relation between secure attachment in infancy and competence in the peer group at age 3 1/2 years. In study 1, smiling and smiling combined with vocalizing and/or showing toys distinguished securely from anxiously attached infants during free play at age 18 months. Rated quality of affective sharing distinguished securely from anxiously attached infants during free play at 18 months and 24 months. Thus, secure attachment involves more than the absence of negative or maladaptive behavior directed toward a caregiver. Study 2 assessed cross-age, cross-situational, and cross-behavioral consistency in quality of social adaptation. Quality of infant-mother attachment relationships at age 15 months was related to Q-sort assessments of personal and interpersonal competence in the preschool play-group at age 3 1/2 years. The results contribute to the validation of attachment as an important developmental construct. They also suggest that age appropriate assessment of developmental social competence constructs can be a useful alternative to the study of homotypic behavioral continuity.

Affect↗
PubMed1979

Continuity of individual adaptation from infancy to kindergarten: a predictive study of ego-resiliency and curiosity in preschoolers.

In this longitudinal study, individual differences in security of attachment at 18 months and effective autonomous functioning at age 2 years were related to the dimensions of ego-control and ego-resiliency at age 4--5 years. The kindergarten or nursery school teachers of 26 children completed California Child Q-Sorts. The children were also given a short form of the Block's laboratory battery (Banta's curiosity box, level of aspiration, motor impulse control delay of gratification, the Shure and Spivack Preschool Interpersonal Problem-solving Test, and the Lowenfeld mosaics). Following the Blocks, composited ego-resiliency and ego-control scores were derived from each data set. Children earlier classified as securely attached were, as predicted, significantly higher on ego-resiliency on both laboratory and Q-sort composites. They were also higher than anxiously attached infants on 3 independent measures of curiosity. An independently composited index of competence from 2-year tool-using measures also correlated significantly with later resiliency, as did 2-year measures of mothers' support and quality of assistance. The data provide initial links between the infant's quality of attachment, the toddler's effectiveness in a problem-solving situation, and competence during the preschool years.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1979

Individual differences in infant-mother attachment at twelve and eighteen months: stability and change in families under stress.

100 economically disadvantaged mothers and their infants were observed in the Ainsworth and Wittig "strange situation" at 12 and 18 months. Infants were classified as secure, anxiously attached/avoidant, or anxiously attached/resistant. In addition, mothers reported occurrence of stressful events related to the stability of the caretaking environment during the 12--18 month period by completing a 44-item checklist concerning work, finances, family, neighbors, health, etc. 62 infants were assigned to the same attachment classification at both 12 and 18 months (p less than .01). Despite this stability, significantly more infants changes classification than in a recent study of stable middle-class families. With the present sample, anxious attachment was associated with less stable caretaking environments than secure attachment; change from secure to anxious attachment was associated with higher stressful-event scores than stable secure attachment.

Anxiety↗
PubMed1978

Mirrow reactions of Down's syndrome infants and toddlers: cognitive underpinnings of self-recognition.

To examine the developmental significance of mirrow self-recognition in early childhood, a cross-sectional study with 55 Down's syndrome children was conducted. When their image is altered by rouge on the nose, normal infants by 22 months indicate self-recognition by touching their noses while looking in the mirror. Only a small percentage of Down's syndrome children touched their noses by this age, confirming the expected lag in this development. However, those young Down's syndrome infants with near-normal development quotient did manifest the reaction. In general, when developmental age was equated, the Down's syndrome children showed parallel development to normal children.

Body Image↗