PMID: 11915148Mar 28, 2002Paper

The relationship between mothering in infancy, childhood experience and adult mental health: results of the Brody prospective longitudinal study from birth to age 30

The International Journal of Psycho-analysis
Henry Massie, Nathan Szajnberg

Abstract

This longitudinal study has followed seventy-six individuals from birth to age 30 using films of the mother-child interaction, psychoanalytically informed interviews of parents and children, and psychodiagnostic testing to assess how the quality of mothering a child receives in the first year of life contributes to his/her subsequent emotional well-being. The thirty-year follow-up of the now adult participants found that those who had received more effective care in infancy in terms of maternal empathy, consistency, control, thoughtfulness, affection and management of aggression had higher-level psychological defence mechanisms as adults than children receiving less effective nurturing--suggesting a process in which the children internalised their mothers' own defence mechanisms. Other measures at 30 years (Global Functioning, Erikson psychosocial attainment, mental representation of security of attachment to parents and presence or absence of a psychiatric diagnosis) did not achieve statistical significance. On the other hand, trauma after infancy and before age 18 provided the strongest correlation with adult outcome: consistent with the theory of the effect of cumulative trauma on psychic functioning, children experiencing t...Continue Reading

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Citations

Dec 23, 2009·Psychology of Addictive Behaviors : Journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors·Karen F TrockiLorraine T Midanik
Mar 21, 2007·Medicine, Conflict, and Survival·Lynn Barnett
Mar 20, 2009·American Journal of Psychoanalysis·Pratyusha Tummala-Narra
Nov 30, 2006·Social Science & Medicine·Mel BartleyStephen Stansfeld
Apr 4, 2006·The International Journal of Psycho-analysis·Henry Massie, Nathan Szajnberg
Dec 3, 2014·Infant Mental Health Journal·Majlis Winberg SalomonssonBjörn Salomonsson
Apr 18, 2006·Biological Psychiatry·Ronald A CohenLeanne M Williams
Aug 25, 2006·International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine·Ronald A CohenEvian Gordon
Jun 12, 2010·Current Opinion in Psychiatry·Adriano Resende LimaJair de Jesus Mari
Feb 2, 2013·Journal of Traumatic Stress·Annika MelinderGail S Goodman

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