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Self‐esteem and depression in abusive, neglecting, and nonmaltreating mothers
Author(s) -
Culp Rex E.,
Culp Anne M.,
Soulis Jeanne,
Letts Dana
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
infant mental health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1097-0355
pISSN - 0163-9641
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0355(198924)10:4<243::aid-imhj2280100402>3.0.co;2-c
Subject(s) - self esteem , depression (economics) , psychology , clinical psychology , ethnic group , suicide prevention , intervention (counseling) , injury prevention , developmental psychology , poison control , medicine , psychiatry , medical emergency , sociology , anthropology , economics , macroeconomics
Groups of 18 physically abusive mothers, 19 neglecting mothers, and their matched controls were compared on depression and self‐esteem. The controls were matched on maternal age, ethnic background, and years of education. The physically abusive mothers had significantly higher levels of depression and lower self‐esteem than did the matched controls. The neglecting mothers had higher levels of depression, but not lower self‐esteem than did the matched controls. The abusive and neglecting mothers had very similar levels of depression and dissimilar levels of self‐esteem. Ameliorating these psychological factors when working with maltreating mothers and their children should be one emphasis of treatment intervention programs.