Date Approved
2016
Date Posted
4-27-2016
Degree Type
Open Access Senior Honors Thesis
Department or School
Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. Alissa Huth-Bocks
Second Advisor
Dr. Angela Staples
Third Advisor
Dr. Natalie Dove
Abstract
During pregnancy women typically reorganize their mental representations of themselves and others to make room for the internal representation of their new child and themselves as caregivers. Representations during this transformational period have been shown to predict postnatal caregiving behavior. The purpose of this study is to assess the influence of physical and psychological intimate partner violence on maternal prenatal representations, namely, through a qualitative analysis of maternal narratives from the Working Model of the Child Interview (Zeanah & Beniot 1995), a well-established, semi-structured clinical tool. Four predominant themes emerged: helplessness, caregiving abdication, rigid attitudes and beliefs about gender roles, and incoherent, mixed themes. Overall, this thematic analysis study allowed for a better understanding about the association between partner violence and maternal representations regarding the parent-child relationship from participants' own words. Several identified themes were consistent with previous quantitative findings in the literature; other themes suggest important avenues for future research that have yet to be studied in depth.
Recommended Citation
Borneman, Kristina, "Quality of caregiving representations among pregnant mothers experiencing intimate partner violence" (2016). Senior Honors Theses and Projects. 473.
https://commons.emich.edu/honors/473