A psychosocial conceptualization of nonorganic failure to thrive

The lived experience of families of children who are failing to thrive

“…Some authors have noted that mothers of FTT children often had a history of profound emotional and physical deprivation in their childhood and the ‘ghosts’ of the past interfered with their ability to parent (Fraiberg et al 1980). Others have reported that mothers had low self‐esteem, were passive, lonely, and isolated (Roberts & Maddux 1982), lacked positive feelings about the child (Casey et al . 1984) and demonstrated poorer problem‐solving skills (Robinson et al .…”

Early Psychological Outcomes in Failure to Thrive: Predictions from an Interactional Model

“…Interactional models are especially applicable to Downloaded by [University of California, San Diego] at 12:24 29 June 2016 a condition such as FTT, in which biologic vulnerability coexists with family stress and dysfunction (Roberts & Maddux, 1982). By the time rate of weight gain is sufficiently compromised to warrant pediatric hospitalization for FTT, the child's malnutrition may be severe enough to lower social responsiveness, influence caregivers' response to the child and hence, affect long-term psychological outcomes (Pollitt, 1969(Pollitt, , 1973.…”