MATERNAL DEPRIVATIONAYENI O.O

INTRODUCTIONMaternal deprivation is when a child is deprived of the normal maternal care.Extrinsic/ Social Handicap a person whose opportunities at healthy development are hampered by certain elements in his/ her environment E.GLoss of parentsMaternal deprivation Poverty Discrimination Racial, ethnic and gender

INTRODUCTIONAs it is commonly used, the term maternal deprivation is ambiguous as it is unclear whether the deprivation is that of the biological mother, of an adoptive or foster mother, a consistent care giving adult of any gender or relationship to the child, of an emotional relationship.

INTRODUCTIONThe maternal deprivation thesis of Bowlby(1965) suggested that it is essential for the mental health of an infant and young child to experience a warm, intimate and continuous relationship with the mother (or permanent mother substitute).

Maternal deprivation hypothesisBased on Bowlbys ideas:Attachment is important for survivalPrototypes for later relationshipsPredicts developmental difficulty if the attachment relationship goes wrong:General developmental problemsSpecific issues with social development

Core Theory Bowlbys TheoryIn the 1950s John Bowlby developed a theory of Attachment From birth infants are biologically programmed to cry, cling, make eye contact , smile and recognise human faces and sounds.The mother is also programmed to respond to these behaviours mutual attachment Both mother and infant feel anxiety when separated.

Core Theory Bowlbys Theory He believed that by six to eight months infants shows separation anxiety and stranger fear demonstrating its attachment to its mother. Instinctively bond with one key figure - MONOTROPY

Core Theory Bowlbys Theory He believed the attachment between a caregiver and infant had to happen at least in the first 3 years of the infants life. He called this the CRITICAL PERIOD for attachment. The mother provides security and a safe base from which the child can explore the world. This relationship acts as a role model for all future relationships - essential for childs psychological well being.

Core Theory Bowlbys Theory If a child did not form an attachment in the first 5 years of life, they would suffer negative psychological effects, especially in adulthood He called this MATERNAL DEPRIVATION If a child never experiences the opportunity to form any sort of bond it causes PRIVATION

How do early attachments affect relationships?Children that form no attachments (privation) can grow up having significant problems with relationships due to poor social and language skills.Children who experience deprivation (because they are separated from an attachment figure) can grow up to suffer from problems such as depression (where they withdraw from others) or emotionless psychopathy (where they show a lack of consideration of others).Children who develop and maintain attachments are more likely to grow up to have productive relationships.

Lack of moral constraints on behaviourwww.psychlotron.org.uk

Bowlby J (1944). "Forty-four juvenile thieves: Their characters and home life

Comparison of delinquent (i.e. criminal) and disturbed children32% of delinquents had an affectionless characterApparent inability to relate to others86% of these had experienced maternal deprivation

Mary Ainsworth in 1962 indicates: "Although in the early months of life it is the mother who almost invariably interacts most with the child... the role of other figures, especially the father, is acknowledged to be significant hence, Paternal deprivation. The term 'parental deprivation ' would have been more accurate if the child has been... deprived of interaction with a father-figure as well as a mother-figure

Spitz (1945)

Children in orphanagesSigns of depressionApathy, withdrawal, helplessness, low appetiteSurvival rates of children raised in prison better than those raised in orphanages

long term consequences of maternal deprivation delinquency, reduced intelligence, increased aggression, depression, affectionless psychopathy

Maternal deprivation syndrome

Factors that contribute to maternal deprivation syndrome Young age of parent (teenage parents) Unplanned or unwanted pregnancy Lower levels of education (especially failure to complete high school) Lower socioeconomic status Absence of the father Absence of a support network (family, close friends, or other support) Mental illness, including severe postpartum depression

Symptoms

Decreased or absent linear growth ("falling off" the growth chart) Lack of appropriate hygiene Interaction problems between mother and child Weight less than the 5th percentile, or an inadequate rate of weight gain

Causes Institutionalization Mother- Child separation Multiple mothering Distortion of quality of careRejection or child neglect

Care of Motherless BabiesInstitutional care Foster care- Kinship or Non-kinship Care within the extended family with supervision Care within the extended family without Supervision Adoption

Institutionalization Child is kept in a government / NGO owned institution.Advantages -provides temporary reprieve for the family while they are adjusting to the loss of the childs mother Disadvantages Multiple mothering, higher risk of morbidity and mortality, emotionally maladjusted children.

Fostering Temporary arrangement in which foster parents are paid to care for a child for a period of time. Usually supervised by workers from the Social Welfare unit.Not legally binding.Disadvantage - Child may be maltreated and maladjusted.

Adoption Adoption is a permanent legal arrangement whereby the care of a child is taken up by a couple. Requirements- Couple must be married, over 21 years of age, educatedThe child takes up the family name and is entitled to an inheritance when adoptive parents die.

References Ainsworth, M. D. S. (1963). The development of infant-mother interaction among the Uganda. InB. M. Foss (Ed.), Determinants of infant behavior (pp. 67-104). New York: Wiley.Developmental Psychology (1992), 28, 759-775.Bowlby, J. (1958). The nature of the child's tie to his mother. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 39, 350-373. Bowlby, J. (1944). Forty-four juvenile thieves: Their characters and home lives. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 25, 19-52.Ainsworth, M.D.S., Blehar, M.C., Waters, E. & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of attachment. Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum. Dr Eme Owoaje presentation on rehabilitation www.psychlotron.org.uk

Referencesen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maternal_deprivation www.virtualpsychology.co.uk/powerpoint/attachment.ppt Bowlby J (1951). Maternal Care and Mental Health. Geneva: World Health Organization Hodges & Tizard (1989)Spitz R (1945)."Hospitalism: An inquiry into the genesis of psychiatric conditions in early childhood". Psychoanalytic Study of the Child 1: 5374.Onwuka, Morawo.(2008) Presentaion on maternal deprivationAkinsola (2006).A-Z of community health in medical nursing and health education practice

*Bowlby's work on delinquent and affectionless children and the effects of hospital and institutional care lead to his being commissioned to write the World Health Organisation's report on the mental health of homeless children in post-war Europe whilst he was head of the Department for Children and Parents at the Tavistock Clinic in London after World War II. The report titled Maternal Care and Mental Health led to what was later called the maternal deprivation hypothesis. The quality of parental care was considered by Bowlby to be of vital importance to the child's development and future mental health. He was commissioned by the WHO to write a report on the mental health of homeless children in the post War Europe. The report was published in 1951 and titled Maternal Care and Mental Health*Bowlby (1969, 1988) also postulated that the fear of strangers represents an important survival mechanism, built in by nature. Babies are born with the tendency to display certain behaviours which help ensure proximity and contact with the mother or mother figure (e.g. crying, smiling, crawling, etc.) these are species-specific behaviours.

Given this relationship, emotions of guilt and anxiety (characteristics of mental illness when in excess) would develop in an organised and moderate way. Naturally extreme emotions would be moderated and become amenable to the control of the child's developing personality. *