Failure of "bond formation" as a cause of abuse, neglect, and maltreatment

Among a group of "high-risk" mothers, limited contact with the newborn at birth was not related to later disorders of mothering. In this prospective, longitudinal study, prematurity and other indices of "bonding failure" did not occur with greater frequency among a subsample of mothers who mistreated their children than among a similar subgroup providing adequate care.