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Mothering to death.

R Meadow1

  • 1Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, St James's University Hospital, Leeds LS9 7TF, UK.

Archives of Disease in Childhood
|March 23, 1999
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Healthy children were treated as ill dependents for decades, leading to disability and death. Mothers evaded all services, exhibiting extreme abnormal parenting behaviors linked to separation anxiety and factitious illness.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Family Studies

Background:

  • This study examines extreme cases of abnormal parenting within three families.
  • It investigates the long-term impact of treating healthy children as chronically ill and dependent from early childhood.

Observation:

  • Three families exhibited a pattern where healthy children were consistently treated as invalids.
  • This pattern of 'abnormal mothering' persisted for 28, 45, and 48 years.
  • Mothers actively avoided medical, educational, and social services, isolating the children.

Findings:

  • The children, despite being healthy, died as adults with severe disabilities.
  • The mothers' behaviors appear to stem from complex psychological origins.
  • Links are drawn to common issues like separation anxiety, school refusal, and factitious disorders.

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Implications:

  • Highlights the devastating consequences of prolonged, abnormal parenting on child development and health.
  • Suggests a need for greater awareness and intervention in cases of parental alienation and child endangerment.
  • Underscores the importance of recognizing and addressing parental psychological issues that impact child welfare.