Trauma and attachment: an investigation in abusive parenting

The authors present data from a study on parenting in child abuse. The sample for the study consisted of 57 parents (32 abusive parents, 25 non-abusive parents) involved in 36 child abuse situations referred to a center for the management and intake of child abuse and neglect situations. Parents’ state of mind with regard to attachment was coded, and findings show statistically significant differences comparing the whole sample to normative data. Differences concerning the abusive versus non abusive parents sub-samples are discussed.