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Mothers who have been severely traumatised are more likely to show low parental sensitivity and competence, to have problems in bonding, and to structure their relationships with their children inappropriately, for example by being over-involved or emotionally unavailable. Infants in severely traumatised families are also likely to be relatively unresponsive and disengaged from their dyadic relationships. Mothers who have been severely traumatised may additionally find it difficult to sooth and regulate their children’ s emotions, which may slow their motor-sensory development and cause them to be fussy or have sleep irregularities.
PART III: THEORY
Specific advice to a helper in therapeutic meetings with mother
To avoid harmful consequences for the child’ s development, it is important to pay close attention to the mother’ s description of her child. Is she over-involved and overprotective? Or is she disengaged, distant and withdrawn? Or does she oscillate between absentmindedness and intrusive interaction?
Sometimes children can act as triggers, even when they have not been born as a result of rape. Bodily intimacy, body smells, crying or screaming, anger and other strong emotions can remind the mother of her violent experiences. Mothers must be helped to identify such triggers and learn to separate them from trauma memories. They also need to be helped to read their children’ s expressions without self-blame or guilt and without communicating to their child scared or scaring emotional reactions that were generated by another relationship.
Special interventions can support a child or group of children, or mothers, if a child is seen to be severely affected by his or her mother’ s trauma, has severe problems in regulating his or her stress and emotions, or has clinging or disorganised forms of dyadic attachment.