Associations Between Maternal Maltreatment-Specific Shame, Maternal-Infant Interactions, And Infant Emotion Regulation

ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN MATERNAL MALTREATMENT SPECIFIC SHAME,MATERNAL-INFANT INTERACTIONS, AND INFANT EMOTION REGULATIONby RENA A. MENKEAugust 2014Advisor: Valerie A. Simon, PhDCo-Advisor: Marjorie Beeghly, PhDMajor: Psychology (Clinical)Degree: Doctor of PhilosophyThe current study focuses on maltreatment-specific shame as a potential mechanism bywhich mothers’ histories of childhood maltreatment might influence parenting and infantemotion regulation. Shame is a common reaction to childhood maltreatment, and the persistenceof maltreatment-specific shame is associated with psychopathology and other psychosocialproblems long after the abuse ends (Andrews, Brewin, Rose, & Kirk, 2000; Feiring, Taska, &Lewis, 2002a; Feiring & Taska, 2005). Despite being associated with psychopathology (e.g.,depression, PTSD), shame is a conceptually distinct abuse-specific reaction that can interferewith self and interpersonal development (Feiring, Cleland & Simon, 2010; Feiring, Simon,Cleland, 2009; Feiring, Simon, Cleland & Barrett, 2013). Remarkably little is known aboutwhether and how maltreatment-specific shame might affect women’s postpartum adjustment,parenting, and infant emotion regulation. The current study begins to address this gap in theliterature by (1) identifying factors associated with maltreatment-specific shame during thepostpartum period, and (2) examining associations between mothers’ maltreatment-specificshame with parenting (as measured by maternal hostility and maternal positive affect) and