Experiencias de maltrato infantil y transmisión intergeneracional de patrones de apego madre-infante.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to research the attachment relationship between babies and their mothers
who have suffered experiences of maltreatment, and to adapt a methodology for its evaluation. The
research participants were four mothers who had had experiences of maltreatment when they were
children, and their 12 to 18 month- old babies, from a low social class in Cali. The information was
gathered through the application of two instruments: the Strange Situations and the protocol of the
Adult Attachment interview. The analysis of the information was based on categories determined by
a literature review. A relationship in the organization of attachment was found in all four dyads. Three
dyads showed an intergenerational transition of insecure attachment patrons. In one dyad the baby
showed secure attachment despite the insecure attachment of her mother. In all babies an important
component of resistance and ambivalence was found, which is related to maternal maltreatment, and
has a bigger impact in the relationship established with the baby, depending on the time, the intensity
and the absence of positive alternative attachment figures in life.