The Impact of Trauma on Parents and Infants

Osofsky, Joy D.; Osofsky, Howard J.; Bocknek, Erika L.

doi:10.1002/9780470660683.ch22

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Research tells us that adolescent mothers are more likely to be depressed than mothers in the general population (Osofsky et al., 1993) who in turn, show more depression than women who are not mothers (Hart et al., 1999). Depression was endemic among the teen mothers we served.…”

Section: Part One: the Beginningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chances for children: The 22‐year journey of psychodynamic/attachment‐based infant mental health in underserved communities

Mayers¹,

Buckner²

2023

Appl Psychoanal Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper follows the 22-year journey of a small community-based program with roots in a psychoanalytic training institute, to the program's current status as an independent non-profit organization serving families throughout the Bronx with psychodynamic, attachment-based parent-infant treatment. The product of an unusual collaboration among a psychoanalytic training institute, a program of the NYC Department of Education and several generous foundations, we aimed to offer teen mothers a dyadic model of parent-infant intervention based on the principles of psychodynamic theory, attachment theory, and mentalization through the lens of an infant mental health perspective. Underlying the creation, implementation, and expansion of the Chances for Children organization at every level were questions of basic trust and mistrust, class, and culture. With this in mind, we describe the development of the model, collaborations with institutions and communities, and the obstacles we encountered along the way. On a macro level, we consider questions of class, culture, and institution that we encountered on every level in institutional bureaucracy, in community outreach, and in collaborating programs. On a more micro level, we use the contexts of a teen-parent therapeutic group and a dyadic mother-child treatment to address issues that arise when white, middle-class clinicians of privilege work in communities of color that are frequently suffering insufficiencies in food, housing, jobs, and experiencing random violence. Finally, we reflect on what has

show abstract

Section: Part One: the Beginningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chances for children: The 22‐year journey of psychodynamic/attachment‐based infant mental health in underserved communities

Mayers¹,

Buckner²

2023

Appl Psychoanal Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…or the past four decades, public opinion and public policy in the United States have maintained that adolescent childbearing is a major social problem, deeply connected to intergenerational poverty and the woes of urban communities (e.g., Coley & Chase-Lansdale, 1998;Furstenberg, 1976). During this same time, research has examined the ways in which adolescent mothers confer risk to themselves and their children (e.g., Brooks-Gunn & Furstenberg, 1986;Crugnola, Ieradi, Gazzotti, & Albizzati, 2014;Leadbeater, 2014;Osofsky, Hann, & Peebles, 1993). Adolescent mothers have been reported to be less likely to complete school and more likely to rely on public support than women who delay childbearing (Upchurch & McCarthy, 1990), and their children are at greater risk for behavior and academic problems (Brooks-Gunn & Furstenberg, 1986;Dahinten, Shapka, & Willms, 2007).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Making meaning of motherhood: Self and life transitions among African American adolescent mothers.

Cox¹,

Lashley²,

Henson³

et al. 2021

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although adolescent childbearing is widely viewed as a major social problem, and research suggests that young mothers and their children are at risk for poor economic and academic outcomes, these ideas may be in need of revision. Recent scholarship has pointed out that young mothers have been unfairly blamed and stigmatized for problems that should be attributed to social and economic inequality, racism, and poverty. The present study extends that research by listening to the voices of young mothers. In total, 179 urban African American women were asked at 4, 12, and 24 months after giving birth to describe how their lives had changed since becoming a mother. A team of coders content coded themes with rigorous checks for intercoder reliability. Positive themes were far more prevalent than negative themes. Motherhood was often described as a positive developmental change, providing the young women with a sense of maturity, responsibility, motivation, and commitment to placing the baby’s needs ahead of their own. Motherhood was sometimes described as a life-turning point whereby young women turned away from undesirable activities and became focused on school, work, and their family’s future. Challenges reflected common stresses of parenting for people of all ages, such as lack of sleep and burden of caregiving, but also limited time to socialize with friends. Findings suggest that although policymakers and professionals view adolescent parenthood as a social ill to be eradicated, for the mothers themselves, the experience is more complex, meaningful, and positive.

show abstract