Confirmatory and disconfirmatory family communication as predictor of offspring socio‐emotional functioning. A 10 to 14 year follow‐up of children at risk

Abstract

Forty-nine families from the University of Rochester Child and Family Study were followed up 10 to 14 years after initial assessment. Two inclusion criteria were applied: at least one of the parents should have been hospitalized for a functional psychiatric disorder before initial assessment and the male index offspring should be 18 years or older at follow-up. Family communication was observed by the Consensus Rorschach procedure and coded with the Confirmation-Disconfirmation Coding System. Offspring childhood social competence was rated by peers, teachers and parents. Outcome measures included the Denver Community Mental Health Questionnaire, the Global Assessment Scale and hospitalization for a psychiatric disorder. Results showed that the family's level of confirmation and disconfirmation communication during Consensus Rorschach at initial testing predicted offspring interpersonal functioning and hospitalization for psychiatric disorders. These findings were not due to the initial social competence or IQ of the child, the level of functional impairment in parents or their social class.

Mapping early environment using communication deviance: A longitudinal study of maternal sensitivity toward 6-month-old children

“…Our findings therefore broaden the possible range of interpretations of the associations between parental CD and poor social and emotional outcomes in children (e.g., Wichstrøm, Anderson, Holte, Husby, et al, 1996; Wichstrøm, Anderson, Holte, & Wynne, 1996) and psychopathology in adults (de Sousa et al, 2014), outlined earlier. If parental CD is a stable trait, it is possible that the associations we have observed reflect an intergenerational process in which prenatal CD is linked to low maternal sensitivity in infancy, which is a key developmental influence on later adjustment.…”

“…Consistent with this hypothesis, "maternal mind-mindedness," defined in terms of the caregivers' ability to "read" their infants' thoughts and feelings accurately during play and to comment on their internal states in an attuned way, has been found to be an important predictor of children's sociocognitive development (Meins et al, 2002(Meins et al, , 2003. Our findings therefore broaden the possible range of interpretations of the associations between parental CD and poor social and emotional outcomes in children (e.g., Wichstrøm, Anderson, Holte, Husby, et al, 1996; and psychopathology in adults , outlined earlier. If parental CD is a stable trait, it is possible that the associations we have observed reflect an intergenerational process in which prenatal CD is linked to low maternal sensitivity in infancy, which is a key developmental influence on later adjustment.…”

“…Drawing from data collected in a high-risk longitudinal study (the University of Rochester Child and Family Study; Wynne, Cole, & Perkins, 1987), Wynne and his colleagues reported associations between parental communication that is vague, contradictory, and unresponsive and both anxiety (Wichstrøm, Holte, & Wynne, 1993) and poorer social competence in 7- and 10-year-old children (Wichstrøm, Holte, Husby, & Wynne, 1993, 1994). In the same high-risk cohort, but at longer follow-up (≥18 years of age), unresponsive communication in parents significantly predicted psychological distress, poorer well-being, and global mental health in the offspring (Wichstrøm, Anderson, Holte, Husby, & Wynne, 1996), and disconfirmatory communication, which ignores or rejects what the child says, was a significant predictor of poor interpersonal functioning and mental health hospitalization (Wichstrøm, Anderson, Holte, Husby, et al, 1996).…”

Mapping early environment using communication deviance: A longitudinal study of maternal sensitivity towards 6-month-old children

“…Interestingly, in the same high-risk cohort, but at longer follow-up (≥18 years of age), disqualifying communication in parents significantly predicted psychological distress, well-being and global mental health in their children . Disconfirmatory communication was also a significant predictor of poor interpersonal functioning and mental health hospitalization in the offspring (Wichstrøm, Anderson, Holte, Husby, & Wynne, 1996). …”

Η Επίδραση Του Συνθετικού Μοντέλου Ψυχοθεραπείας Στις Ενδοοικογενειακές Σχέσεις Ασθενών Με Σχιζοφρένεια Παρανοϊκού Τύπου Και Σχιζοσυναισθηματική Διαταραχή

“…Οι Wichstrom & Holte, διεξήγαγαν μία σειρά μελετών (Holte & Wichstrom, 1990a,b. Wichstrom, Holte, & Wynne, 1993, 1996a για να διερεύνησαν τα ακατάλληλα μοντέλα επικοινωνίας και τα μοντέλα επιβεβαίωσης και διάψευσης της επικοινωνίας των συγγενών των ατόμων με σχιζοφρενικά συμπτώματα, σε σχέση με διάφορες ομάδες ελέγχου (π.χ. φυσιολογικοί, καταθλιπτικοί).…”