An investigation into the possible overlap between PTSD and unresolved responses following stillbirth: An absence of linkage with only unresolved status predicting infant disorganization

It has been suggested that the characteristic lapses in thinking and reasoning of the unresolved/disorganized (U) state of mind following traumatic loss involve psychological mechanisms similar to those found in PTSD and that a fuller understanding of these mechanisms may help explain the disruptions in parental caretaking behaviour that lead to disorganized infant attachment. This paper investigates whether PTSD, assessed in 60 mothers in the pregnancy after stillbirth, predicts infant disorganized (D) attachment in next-born children, and whether there was any association between U and PTSD. We report that in this population there was no significant correspondence between U and PTSD scores or caseness and no association between maternal PTSD and infant D. We discuss possible interpretations of these findings.