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Improving Maternal Representations in High-Risk Mothers: A Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Mom Power Parenting Intervention

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Abstract

A key mechanism of risk transmission between maternal risk and child outcomes are the mother’s representations. The current study examined the effects of an attachment-based, trauma-informed parenting intervention, the Mom Power (MP) program, in optimizing maternal representations of high-risk mothers utilizing a randomized, controlled trial design (NCT01554215). High-risk mothers were recruited from low-income community locations and randomized to either the MP Intervention (n = 42) or a control condition (n = 33) in a parallel design. Maternal representations were assessed before and after the intervention using the Working Model of the Child Interview. The proportion of women with balanced (secure) representations increased in the MP group but not in the control group. Parenting Reflectivity for mothers in the treatment group significantly increased, with no change in the control condition. Participation in the MP program was associated with improvements in a key indicator of the security of the parent–child relationship: mothers’ representations of their children.

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Acknowledgements

The research presented was supported through funds from the State of Michigan, Department of Community Health, (PI: Muzik, F023865-2009 and F029321-2010); Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR) (PI: Rosenblum, UL1RR024986-2010), and the Robert Wood Johnson Health & Society Scholars Program (PI: Muzik; N012918-2010). We thank the community agencies (i.e., Starfish Family Services, Inkster, Michigan; The Guidance Center, Southgate, Michigan) and their clinicians serving the families for participating in this trial. We thank the families who participated in this project. We acknowledge the valuable efforts of the Mom Power project staff in program development, implementation and data collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Rachel Upjohn Building, 4250 Plymouth Rd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Katherine Rosenblum, Jamie Lawler, Emily Alfafara, Nicole Miller & Maria Muzik

  2. Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Katherine Rosenblum & Maria Muzik

  3. Department of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Melisa Schuster

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  1. Katherine Rosenblum
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  2. Jamie Lawler
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  3. Emily Alfafara
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Correspondence to Maria Muzik.

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Rosenblum, K., Lawler, J., Alfafara, E. et al. Improving Maternal Representations in High-Risk Mothers: A Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Mom Power Parenting Intervention. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 49, 372–384 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-017-0757-5

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