Gm. Casanova et al., PHYSIOLOGICAL-RESPONSES TO CHILD STIMULI IN MOTHERS WITH AND WITHOUT A CHILDHOOD HISTORY OF PHYSICAL ABUSE, Child abuse & neglect, 18(12), 1994, pp. 995-1004
The present study investigated changes in heart rate, skin conductance
, and self-reported affect in response to child stimuli in mothers wit
h and without a childhood history of physical abuse. The stimuli were
videotape presentations of a smiling and crying infant. During baselin
e periods (prior to videotape presentations), mothers without a childh
ood history of abuse displayed a significant reduction in skin conduct
ance, which was not observed in mothers with a childhood history of ab
use, suggesting that mothers without a history of abuse habituated to
the experimental setting. Although the two groups of mothers did not d
iffer in self-reported affect or in heart rates in response to the cry
ing and smiling infant, mothers with a childhood history of abuse show
ed increases in skin conductance while viewing the smiling infant, but
not while viewing the crying infant. In contrast, mothers without a c
hildhood history of abuse showed increases in skin conductance during
the presentation of the crying infant, but not while viewing the smili
ng infant. Similarities between the skin conductance results for mothe
rs with and without a childhood history of abuse and skin conductance
data reported for physically abusive and at-risk mothers are discussed
.