Poster #134 - Effects of AVI Intervention: Maternal sensitivity of internationally adoptive mothers and unresolved state of mind

• In Event: 1-115 - Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Section - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Integrative Statement

It is well known that internationally adopted children may present numerous difficulties, in particular insecure attachment problems, as linked to the neglectful institution-rearing conditions (Dumais, Michel, & Cyr, 2014). Maternal sensitivity is one important predictor of child attachment security, which in turn is shown to predict cognitive and social adaptation of internationally adopted children (Stams, Juffer, & van IJzendoorn, 2002). The Attachment Video-feedback Intervention (AVI: Moss et al., 2011) was shown successful for increasing maternal sensitivity in mothers of foster-to-adopt children (Dubois-Comtois et al., 2011). So far, there are few attachment intervention studies that tested for whom interventions work best. Attachment interventions were found to be less effective for parents with an unresolved attachment state of mind (Duchesne et al., 2007; Moran et al., 2005). Mothers classified as being unresolved with regard to loss and trauma are more likely to have had experienced childhood maltreatment (Bailey et al., 2007; Madigan et al., 2012) and to display more frightened and frightening (i.e., angry, aggressive, threatening) behaviors when interacting with their child than other mothers (Schuengel et al., 1999; Steele et al., 2003).
This study tested whether the Attachment Video-feedback Intervention (AVI) increased sensitivity of 59 internationally adoptive mothers of 1-5 years old children (M= 31,4 ;SD= 1,80), and whether this change was moderated by mothers’ unresolved attachment state of mind. Participants were randomly assigned to the AVI or control groups. Maternal sensitivity was assessed at pre- and post-tests using the well-validated Parent-Child Interaction Scale for preschoolers and school-aged children (Moss et al., 2004). Mothers completed 1) the Adult Attachment Projective (George & West, 2001), which evaluates the adult’s attachment state of mind with pictures activating the attachment system; 2) and a socio-demographic and stressful life event questionnaire, which asked about the presence of experiences of childhood maltreatment and other trauma experiences like loss and miscarriage.
On a descriptive level, results show that 36% of mothers had an unresolved attachment state of mind. These mothers, in comparison to those with a resolved attachment, were more likely to have had experiences of past physical abuse, emotional neglect and physical neglect. A history of miscarriage was not, however, associated to adult attachment. Efficacy of the AVI was tested using an ANCOVA. Results showed that after controlling for sensitivity at pre-test, increased levels of sensitivity was found at post-test for AVI mothers in comparison to those of the control group F(1, 53) = 7.13, p = 0.01. There were no adult attachment effect, F(1, 53) = 0.01, ns nor an interaction of Group X Adult attachment effect F(1, 53) = 2.06, ns, indicating that the presence of an unresolved attachment did not attenuate the AVI’s efficacy on maternal sensitivity. These results show that despite the fairly high proportion of adoptive mothers with an unresolved state of mind, this risk factor did not diminished the efficacy of the AVI on maternal sensitivity.

Authors

• Valérie Langlois, Université du Québec à Montréal
  Presenting Author

• Houria Benard, Université du Québec à Montréal
  Non-Presenting Author

• Chantal Cyr, University of Quebec at Montreal
  Non-Presenting Author

• Karine Dubois-Comtois, Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres
  Non-Presenting Author

• Aliya Mubarak, Université du Québec à Montréal
  Non-Presenting Author