University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Child Maltreat. 2011 Feb;16(1):41-50. doi: 10.1177/1077559510387662. Epub 2010 Dec 3.
In this study, we examined within-person variability in maternal sensitivity among a culturally diverse sample of high-risk mother-infant dyads (N = 25). We also examined incremental increases in effect sizes between maternal sensitivity and two related variables, attachment state of mind and child removal from the home, as a function of increasing observations of maternal sensitivity. The dyads were videotaped during 10 1-hour-long home visits and maternal sensitivity was coded using the abbreviated (25-item) version of the Maternal Behavior Q-Sort (MBQS). Attachment state of mind was assessed using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Within-person variability in maternal sensitivity was greater for nonautonomous mothers compared to autonomous mothers. Mothers who were relatively low in maternal sensitivity were more likely to be nonautonomous and also more likely to have their child removed from their home by child protective services. Results from data sampling trials showed incremental increases in these effect sizes as the number of observations of maternal sensitivity increased. Fewer observations of maternal sensitivity resulted in systematic underestimates of effect sizes between maternal sensitivity and related variables. We discuss the implications for maltreatment researchers and interventionists.
在这项研究中，我们考察了高危母婴对子（N=25）中母亲敏感性的个体内变异性。我们还考察了随着母亲敏感性观察次数的增加，母亲敏感性与两个相关变量（依恋心理状态和儿童被带离家庭）之间的效应大小呈递增趋势。在 10 次 1 小时的家访中，对母婴对子进行录像，使用母亲行为 Q 分类法（MBQS）的简化（25 项）版本对母亲敏感性进行编码。使用成人依恋访谈（AAI）评估依恋心理状态。与自主型母亲相比，非自主型母亲的母亲敏感性个体内变异性更大。那些母亲敏感性相对较低的母亲更有可能是非自主型的，也更有可能因为儿童保护服务而将其孩子带离家庭。数据抽样试验的结果表明，随着母亲敏感性观察次数的增加，这些效应大小呈递增趋势。母亲敏感性观察次数较少会导致母亲敏感性与相关变量之间的效应大小被系统低估。我们讨论了这些结果对虐待研究人员和干预人员的意义。
