Preventing attachment disorder (AD): Attachment-focused dyadic group therapy with borderline personality disorder – and former AD – mothers

Abstract

Children with mothers with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) have a high risk of developing attachment difficulties, and this risk is like to grow when their mothers experienced severe neglect and/or abuse in their childhood and early adolescence. Our objective was to clinically assess and lend support to a small group of young mothers at risk. We recruited mothers aged 18-25, with 1-12 month-old children. None was married, had a stable residence and sexual partner, and most were unemployed. All had early diagnosis of AD, had at present BPD, and had received extended global and residential psychiatric treatment in our Therapeutic Community (SIRIO Project) along their adolescence. We conducted six consecutive 4 h weekly sessions, which were attended by mothers with their babies in the familiar setting of the Community. The explicit aim proposed to them was: “to come to be listened and accompanied and to share their motherhood experiences” with members of our multidisciplinary team (nurse, social worker, therapeutic educator, psychologist and psychiatrist), who were known to them.Fears, somatizations, more-or-less concealed rejection of her baby, apathy, sadness, suspiciousness, jealousy, relational difficulties with their couples and family figures… were common findings that were addressed in the sessions.Main conclusionMinor but positive changes occurred in the dyadic mother-baby relationship. This was more patent concerning breastfeeding, relationships with their couple and extended family and pediatricians, and attitudes toward job seeking. In addition, the frequent contact with these mothers elicited markedly positive reactions in the 8-9 children/adolescents currently residing in our community.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.