Nature and Consequences of Personality Problems in Maltreating Caregivers

Abstract

From the authors' perspective and value-based assumptions, neglect and abuse occur not out of malice or intent to harm but rather out of an inability to cope with the demands of children whose developmental needs overwhelm the coping resources of parental caregivers. In this article the authors develop a theoretical model that views caregivers who repeatedly maltreat their children as limited in providing appropriate parenting responses to their offspring because of psychosocial problems that pervade most sectors of their functioning. The proposed theoretical model targets 3 interacting dimensions of personality functioning (interpersonal relationship capacity, emotion regulation, and self-esteem maintenance). Implications for the development of assessment and intervention strategies and for empirical testing of the model are outlined.