Factors associated with the unresolved classification of the Adult Attachment Interview in women who have suffered stillbirth

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Factors associated with the unresolved classification of the Adult Attachment Interview in women who have suffered stillbirth

Hughes, P; Turton, P; Hopper, E; McGauley, GA; Fonagy, P; (2004) Factors associated with the unresolved classification of the Adult Attachment Interview in women who have suffered stillbirth. DEV PSYCHOPATHOL , 16 (1) 215 - 230. 10.1017/S0954579404044487. Green open access

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Abstract

The "unresolved" state of mind with respect to loss or trauma as assessed in the Adult Attachment Interview is common in clinical and forensic groups, as well as in mothers whose infants are classified as disorganized in their attachment relationship to them. However, questions remain about what the unresolved state represents and what factors predict the unresolved state. This case controlled study reports on 64 women who had suffered stillbirth and who were pregnant with their next child. The study explores attachment, psychiatric, and social factors associated with the unresolved state or higher unresolved scores with respect to stillbirth. Women who had experienced stillbirth were more likely to be unresolved than control women. Although a similar number of stillbirth and control women had experienced childhood trauma, only women who had experienced stillbirth were unresolved with respect to this trauma, suggesting the unresolved state may be evoked or reevoked by subsequent traumatic loss. Higher unresolved scores in relation to stillbirth were predicted by childhood trauma, poor support from family after the loss, and having a funeral for the infant. The results are discussed in terms of the woman's sense of being causal in the loss.

Type:	Article
Title:	Factors associated with the unresolved classification of the Adult Attachment Interview in women who have suffered stillbirth
Open access status:	An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI:	10.1017/S0954579404044487
Publisher version:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0954579404044487
Language:	English
Additional information:	© 2004 Cambridge University Press
Keywords:	POSTNATAL DEPRESSION SCALE, INFANTS BORN SUBSEQUENT, POST-NATAL DEPRESSION, DISCRIMINANT VALIDITY, PERINATAL LOSS, REPRESENTATIONS, PREGNANCY, ANXIETY, RISK, VALIDATION
UCL classification:	UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Clinical, Edu and Hlth Psychology
URI:	https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/134348