Emotion recognition ability in mothers at high and low risk for child physical abuse

Author(s): Milner, J. S.

Journal/Book: Child Abuse Neglect. 2000; 24: the Boulevard Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford Ox5 1GB, England. Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd. 1289-1298.

Abstract: Objective: The study sought to determine if high-risk, compared to low-risk, mothers make more emotion recognition errors when they attempt to recognize emotions in children and adults. Method: Thirty-two demographically matched high-risk (n = 16) and low-risk (n = 16) mothers were asked to identify different emotions expressed by children and adults. Sets of high- and low-intensity, visual and auditory emotions were presented. Mothers also completed measures of stress, depression, and ego-strength. Results: High-risk, compared to low-risk, mothers showed a tendency to make more errors on the visual and auditory emotion recognition tasks, with a trend toward more errors on the low-intensity, visual stimuli. However, the observed trends were not significant. Only a post-hoc test of error rates across all stimuli indicated that high-risk, compared to low-risk. Mothers made significantly more emotion recognition errors. Although situational stress differences were not found, high-risk mothers reported significantly higher levels of general parenting stress and depression and lower levels of ego-strength. Conclusions: Since only trends and a significant post hoc finding of more overall emotion recognition errors in high-risk mothers were observed. Additional research is needed to determine if high-risk mothers have emotion recognition deficits that may impact parent-child interactions. As in prior research, the study found that high-risk mothers reported more parenting stress and depression and less ego-strength.

Note: Article Milner JS, No Illinois Univ, Dept Psychol, Ctr Study Family Violence & Sexual Assault, De Kalb,IL 60115 USA

Keyword(s): child physical abuse; high-risk; emotion recognition; POTENTIAL INVENTORY; FACIAL EXPRESSIONS; INTENSITY; FATHERS

Zurück | Weiter