Negative and Distorted Attributions Towards Child, Self, and Primary Attachment Figure Among Posttraumatically Stressed Mothers: What Changes with Clinician Assisted Videofeedback Exposure Sessions (CAVES)

This study found that within a non-referred community pediatrics clinic sample, the severity of mothers’ trauma-related psychopathology, in particular, their interpersonal violence-related (IPV) posttraumatic stress, dissociative, and depressive symptoms predicted the degree of negativity of mothers’ attributions towards their preschool age children, themselves, and their own primary attachment figure. Results also showed that mothers with IPV-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as compared to non-PTSD controls showed a significantly greater degree of negativity of their attributions toward their child, themselves and their primary attachment figure during childhood. The study finally found a significant reduction in the degree of negativity of mothers’ attributions only towards their child following a three-session evaluation-protocol that included a form of experimental intervention entitled the “Clinician Assisted Videofeedback Exposure Session(s)” (CAVES), for mothers with IPV-PTSD as compared to control-subjects.