THE DISTURBED CAREGIVING SYSTEM - RELATIONS AMONG CHILDHOOD TRAUMA, MATERNAL CAREGIVING, AND INFANT AFFECT AND ATTACHMENT

The interrelations among maternal childhood experiences of physical or sexual abuse, adult trauma-related symptoms, adult caregiving behavio r, and infant affect and attachment were investigated among 45 low-inc ome mothers and their 18-month-old infants. A history of physical abus e was associated with increased hostile-intrusive behavior toward the infant, increased infant negative affect, and a decreased tendency to report trauma-related symptoms. A history of sexual abuse was associat ed with decreased involvement with the infant, more restricted materna l affect, and more active reporting of trauma-related symptoms. Infant s of mothers who had experienced childhood violence or abuse were not more likely to display insecure attachment strategies than infants of mothers who had not experienced trauma. However, the form of insecure behavior was significantly different. Insecure infants of violence-exp osed mothers displayed predominantly disorganized strategies, whereas insecure infants of mothers with benign childhoods or neglect only dis played predominantly avoidant strategies. Results are discussed in rel ation to Main and Hesse's (1990) concept of frightened or frightening behavior and to current literature on psychological sequelae of trauma .