BETWEEN-AGERE – ET SPØRGSMÅL OM SEKSUALITET ELLER LEG?

I artiklen præsenteres between-agerne – piger mellem ti og tolv, der klæder sig i seksuelt udfordrende tøj – og den bekymring, de gøres til genstand for i debatten i medierne. Essentielt i denne bekymring er misforholdet mellem pigernes seksuelle tegn og det traditionelle syn på, hvordan børn bør opfører sig. Denne problemstilling udfordres, idet der i artiklen argumenteres for, at bekymringen er baseret på en romantisk forestilling om forholdet mellem barndommens naturlighed og seksualitetens kulturelle oprindelse, der både er ensidig, forkert og begrænsende for en forståelse af between-agerne. Der argumenteres for, at der er behov for en fornyet og kvalificeret diskussion, således at pigernes seksuelle adfærd kan begribes på adækvat vis. Der konkluderes i den forbindelse, at leg og seksualitet ikke nødvendigvis skal ses som modsætninger, idet legen kan fungere som en ramme for between-agernes seksuelle ageren. Legen rummer således en forståelseskvalitet i forhold til betweenagerne, som det er relevant at undersøge nærmere

Antenatal caregiving representations and perinatal behavior in mothers with severe lifetime psychopathology

Psychopathology poses a risk for optimal parenting. The current study explored antenatal caregiving representations as markers for later risk of nonoptimal maternal behavior among mothers with severe mental illness. Sixty‐five mothers diagnosed with psychosis, bipolar disorder, depression (psychopathology group), and nonclinical controls participated in a longitudinal study from pregnancy to 16 weeks after birth. Mental health diagnoses and caregiving representations were assessed during pregnancy. Maternal behavior was assessed during the 5‐min recovery phase of the still‐face paradigm at 16 weeks. Mothers with psychopathology reported significantly higher levels of “heightened” caregiving representations (i.e., separation anxiety from the child) than did controls. The only significant diagnostic group difference in perinatal maternal behavior was that mothers diagnosed with depression exhibited more overriding‐intrusive behavior than did nonclinical control mothers. Regression modeling results showed that antenatal caregiving representations of “role reversal” predicted significantly lower levels of sensitivity and higher levels of overriding‐intrusive behavior independent of the effect of psychopathology. The findings can be interpreted in the context of representational transformation to motherhood during pregnancy. The results provide preliminary evidence for the potential of a new questionnaire measure of caregiving representations as a screening instrument for antenatal representational risk

Wellbeing and resilience:Mechanisms of transmission of health and risk in parents with complex mental health problems and their offspring—The WARM Study

The WARM study is a longitudinal cohort study following infants of mothers with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and control from pregnancy to infant 1 year of age. Background: Children of parents diagnosed with complex mental health problems including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, are at increased risk of developing mental health problems compared to the general population. Little is known regarding the early developmental trajectories of infants who are at ultra-high risk and in particular the balance of risk and protective factors expressed in the quality of early caregiver-interaction. Methods/Design: We are establishing a cohort of pregnant women with a lifetime diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and a non-psychiatric control group. Factors in the parents, the infant and the social environment will be evaluated at 1, 4, 16 and 52 weeks in terms of evolution of very early indicators of developmental risk and resilience focusing on three possible environmental transmission mechanisms: stress, maternal caregiver representation, and caregiver-infant interaction. Discussion: The study will provide data on very early risk developmental status and associated psychosocial risk factors, which will be important for developing targeted preventive interventions for infants of parents with severe mental disorder