Abstract
The perinatal period is an extremely complex moment for a woman, both on a personal level, as a redefinition of identity, and on a socio-relational level. The way in which the woman manages these changes will be crucial to her child’s psychophysical well-being. Although a bit of ambivalence towards the baby is physiological, experiences that lead to the fear of being “bad mothers,” or even to refuse one’s own child, even if desired, may emerge. The woman’s attachment style is a strong determinant of the mother’s attitude towards her role and her offspring, which may be welcomed and cared for, or else rejected and harmed.
Attachment theory, developed by Bowlby’s ethology-inspired studies, is a theoretical framework that guides the interpretation of emotion regulation and behavioral patterns of both the mother and her child within the process of caring. It defines a behavioral system intertwined with the caregiving behavioral system, meant to provide adequate care for the baby in need. According to this theory, attachment styles are active since the earliest years and are stable over the course of life. Therefore, a number of assessment tools for the adult population have been developed, the most reliable being the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI).
Compelling evidence on the linkage between trauma and interpersonal violence is also available. As a matter of fact, the exposition to early relational traumas has been identified as a risk factor for re-enactments of the aggressive behaviors witnessed as a child. Attachment styles of both victims and perpetrators of violence have proven to be disrupted in specific, dysfunctional ways.
From a recent review of the literature interesting results emerged. More specifically, the psychological features of mothers who have committed filicide, especially their state of mind with respect to attachment, have been little studied. A summary of this work, together with a thorough overview on attachment theory and the intergenerational theory of trauma, is provided within this chapter.
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Abbreviations
- AAI:
-
Adult Attachment Interview
- AAP:
-
Adult Attachment Projective Picture System
- APA:
-
American Psychological Association
- CC attachment:
-
Cannot Classify attachment
- Ds attachment:
-
Dismissing attachment
- E attachment:
-
Preoccupied/entangled attachment
- F attachment:
-
Secure/autonomous attachment
- HH attachment:
-
Hostile helpless attachment
- ISTSS:
-
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
- IWMs:
-
Internal Working Models
- PACS:
-
Patient Attachment Coding System
- PTSD:
-
Post-traumatic stress disorder
- U/d attachment:
-
Unresolved/disorganized attachment
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Lattanzi, G.M. (2023). Attachment Theory, Intergenerational Trauma, and Their Role in Maternal Filicide. In: Martin, C.R., Preedy, V.R., Patel, V.B. (eds) Handbook of Anger, Aggression, and Violence. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31547-3_178
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