Maladaptive Parental Practices

1
Maladaptive Parental Practices

• Sioned Davies Aerfen Whittle

2
The Parental Instinct

• Brevard Mother Saves Child From Pit Bull
• WESH.com137 p.m. EDT May 12, 2004
• A Brevard County mother rescued her baby Tuesday
  from the jaws of a pit bull.
• Amanda Ibraham, of Cocoa, FL. was outside with
  her son Keshawn when the dog attacked him, WESH
  News Channel 2 reported.
• She tossed her baby over a fence and attempted to
  fight off the dog by herself. Neighbours heard
  the screaming and did what they could to help
  Ibraham fight off the dog. Police arrived and
  shot the dog.
• Ibraham suffered severe bite wounds to her hands,
  and the baby suffered a deep bite wound, which
  tore through his stomach, but the child survived
  and is now doing OK.
• http//msnbc.msn.com/id/4961689/

3
The Parental Instinct

• Darwin and the Theory of Evolution
• Parental Care
• Parental Investment

4
Maladaptive Practices

• maladaptive adj.
• Marked by faulty or inadequate adaptation
• Not assisting or promoting adaptation
• Maladaptive parental practices are acts by a
  parent that do not encourage positive adjustment
  and survival of the child
• Evolutionary this does not appear rational

5
Child Abuse

• Parents often primary suspects
• 4 Main types of abuse
• Physical abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Neglect
• Home Office Statistics (England and Wales 2002/3)
• 5989 reported offences
• 32,809 names added to child protection registers
• 57,0220 referrals concerning child maltreatment
  to social services departments

6
Post Natal Depression

• 10-15 of mothers affected
• (Kendell, 1985)
• Depressive Symptoms and preoccupation with
  well-being of infant
• Significantly increased risk of harm to infant
  and Mother
• Combination of psychological, biological and
  environmental factors.

7
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) or Factitious
Disorder by Proxy

• the deliberate production or feigning of
  physical or psychological signs or symptoms in
  another person who is under the individual's
  care. Typically the victim is a young child and
  the perpetrator is the childs Mother
• 
  (DSM-IV, 2000)
• Fabricated illness vs. Induced illness
• Media attention
• Controversial

8
Theoretical Explanations for MSBP

• Exact psychological basis unknown
• Attention
• Personality Disorder (Plauk, 2001)
• Attachment theory (Adhead Bluglass, 2001)
• Bowlby, 1969
• Internal Working Model

9
Evolutionary Psychology and Maladaptive Practices

• Can we identify an adaptive function for
  maladaptive practices?
• Darwinian Storytelling
• Why has this survived?
• Disease
• Parental Investment Theory

10
Parental Investment Theory

• Dickemann, 1979

Hunter/Gatherer
Somatic effort
Reproductive effort
Mating effort
Parenting effort
11
Further Evolutionary Explanations

• Deception?
• Chimpanzees
• Power
• Mate evaluation
• Attracting mates by displaying care?
• Drawing attention to self
• Portray self as a caring and dedicated Mother
• Signalling need for Social Support?

12
MSBP and Extreme Female Brains

• Hyper-empathisers?
• Accurately ascertain mental states of others to
  an accurate and sensitive degree
• Appropriately aware of others feelings
• Not supported-
• No evidence of sensitivity to childs feelings
  and needs
• Extremely low empathisers?
• Less physical contact with child
• Weaker attachments
• Less sensitive to childs feelings and needs
• 
  (Baron-Cohen, 2004)

13
Conclusion

• Many forms of maladaptive parental practices in
  modern society
• Evolutionary explanations
• Cannot be used to justify such behaviours
• Further research required

14
References

• Adshead, G. Bluglass, K. (2001). Attachment
  representations and Factitious Illness by Proxy
  Relevance for assessment of parenting capacity in
  in child maltreatment.Child Abuse Review, Vol.
  10. 398-410.
• Alonso, W. J. (1998) The role of kin selection
  theory in the explantion of biological alturism
  A critical review.
• American Psychiatric Association (2000).
  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
  Disorders Fourth Edition. Washington DC APA. 
• Baron-Cohen. S. (2004). The Essential Difference.
  London Penguin Books. 
• Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and Loss Vol.1
  Attachment. Hogarth Press London
• Clutton-Brock, T. H. (1991) The Evolution of
  Parental Care. New JersyPrinceton University
  Press.
• Creighton, S. J. (1992) Child abuse trends in
  England and Wales 1988-1990 and an overview from
  1973-1990. London NSPCC. 
• Creighton, S.J. Tissier, G. (2003). Child
  killings in England and Wales NSPCC Research
  Department / NSPCC Media Office. 
• Dickemann, M. (1979) Female infanticide,
  reproductive strategies and social
  stratification A preliminary model. In N. A.
  Chagnon and W. Irons (Eds.) Evolutionary biology
  and human social behaviour. North Scituate,
  MADuxberry Press.

15
References

• Gardenfors, P. (2003). How homo became sapiens.
  Oxford University Press.
• Gelder, M., Gath, D., Mayou, R. Cowen, P. (2000).
  Oxford textbook of Psychiatry Third Edition.
  Oxford University Press
• Hagen, E. H. (1999) The Functions of Postpartum
  Depression. Evolution and Human Behaviour.
  20325-359.
• Kendell, R.E. (1985). Emotional and Physical
  Factors in the genesis of puerperal mental
  disorders. Journal of Psychosomatic Research.
• Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2001). Abnormal Psychology
  Second Edition. Boston McGraw-Hill)
• Trivers. R. L. (1972) Parental investment and
  sexual selection. In B. Cambell (Ed) Sexual
  selection and the decent of man. (pp. 1871-1971)
  Chicago, ILAldine
• http//www.anth.ucsb.edu/projects/human/evpsychfaq
  .html
• http//articles.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0B
  UY/is_8_11/ai_78356915
• http//bmj.bmjjournals.com
• http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1400262.stm
• http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/medical_notes/35
  28517.stm
• http//hugse9.harvard.edu/gsedata/Resource_pkg.pro
  file?vperson_id230
• http//www.health.gov.au/nhmrc/publications/synops
  es/wh29syn.html
• http//www.jimhopper.com/abstats
• http//www.munchausen.com
• http//www.nspcc.org.uk/inform/