Mothers' resolution of their young children's psychiatric diagnoses: associations with child, parent, and relationship characteristics.

Maternal resolution of a child's diagnosis relates to sensitive caregiving and healthy attachment. Failure to resolve is associated with maternal distress, high caregiving burden, and the quality of marital and social support. This study examined maternal resolution of diagnosis in a child psychiatric population utilizing the Reaction to Diagnosis paradigm. Thirty-three mothers of children ages 2–7 years with psychiatric disorders were interviewed using the Reaction to Diagnosis Interview. Slightly over half of the sample was classified as resolved. Associations between maternal resolution status, maternal depression, childrearing stress, and child functioning were examined and a predictive model for maternal resolution status was tested. Specific findings included a significant association between childrearing stress and maternal resolution status with support for some additional predictive power for maternal depression on resolution status. Child functioning was not significantly associated with resolution status, and may exert influence indirectly through its association with childrearing stress. There were no significant associations between maternal or child demographic characteristics and maternal resolution status. Clinical and research implications are discussed.