Stability in disrupted maternal representations over the perinatal period: contributors and consequences

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development awarded Wayne State University $154,000 on June 18, 2026, under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865) to examine stability in maternal representations of children over the perinatal period and the relationship between representation stability and child adaptation.

The research examines whether disrupted maternal representations—characterized by mixed communication, role merging, extreme withdrawal, and other unusual psychological processes—that emerge during pregnancy remain stable across the child's first years of life and how changes in these representations affect maternal caregiving and child adaptation. The study tracks 99 women living in high-risk contexts using the Working Model of the Child Interview administered during the third trimester and again when the child reaches two years of age. The research measures maternal demographic characteristics, interpersonal violence experiences, psychological health (including depressive, anxious, and PTSD symptoms), and parenting stress as influences on representation stability. The work also assesses observed maternal caregiving quality and child adaptation outcomes in relation to stability in maternal representations.

Performance occurs at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, with a period of performance from June 18, 2026, through May 31, 2028. The award is classified as a Project Grant.

Abstract

High-quality mother-infant relationships promote social, emotional, and cognitive development while protecting against poor child behavioral, health, and psychological adaptation that create risk for long- term negative outcomes. As mothers transition to parenthood, their own experiences of being cared for influence their emerging views of parenting and representations of their developing child. Evidence suggests that 'disrupted' maternal representations of the child, i.e., representations characterized by mixed communication, role merging, extreme withdrawal, and other unusual psychological processes, are tied to both poor child socioemotional adjustment and both insecure and disorganized attachment. However, IT is unclear whether disrupted representations that emerge during pregnancy remain stable across the first several years of the child's life. In addition, to date, research has not examined how change/stability in these representations may affect maternal caregiving and subsequent child adaptation. Using data from a longitudinal, multi-method study, this proposed project will examine the stability of maternal representations of the child for 99 women living in high risk contexts using the working model of the child interview during the third trimester and again when the child is two years of age. Mothers' demographic characteristics (i.e. SES and relationship status), interpersonal violence experiences (i.e. child maltreatment or intimate violence exposure), psychological health (i.e. depressive, anxious, and ptsd symptoms), and parenting stress (i.e. perceptions of the child as difficult and parent-child interactions as dysfunctional) are measured as well to examine influences on representation stability. Finally, the observed quality of maternal caregiving and child adaptation are measured and examined in relation to stability in maternal representations of the child. Findings from this study have the potential to identify which mother-child dyads are at greatest risk for poor adaptation across the perinatal period and to delineate the contributors and consequences of maternal representational stability. These findings will serve as an important step towards informing the development or modification of existing prevention/intervention approaches that are targeted specifically towards mother-child dyads who are most at need.