62 CHAPTER 2
- Biases in discriminating and responding to facial expressions. For instance, chil-
dren who have been physically abused are more likely to perceive photographs of
faces as conveying anger than are children who have not been physically abused
(Pollak et al., 2000). - Diffi culties in attachment. Children who have been maltreated are less likely to
develop a secure type of attachment than are children who have not been mal-
treated (Baer & Martinez, 2006). - Increased social isolation. For instance, children who have been physically abused
report feeling more socially isolated than children who have not been physically
abused (Elliot et al., 2005).
However, not everyone who experienced maltreatment as a child develops a
psychological disorder (Haskett et al., 2006; Katerndahl, Burge, & Kellogg, 2005).Parental Psychological Disorders
Another family-related factor that may contribute to psychological disorders is the
presence of a psychological disorder in one or both parents (Pilowsky et al., 2006).
It is diffi cult to pinpoint the specifi c mechanism responsible for this association,
however, because it could be due to any number—or combination—of factors. For
instance, a parent may transmit a genetic vulnerability for a psychological disorder
to a child. Alternatively, the specifi c patterns of interaction between an affected par-
ent and a child may lead to particular vulnerabilities in learning, mental processes,
cognitive distortions, emotional regulation, or social interactions—any or all of
which can increase the risk of a psychological disorder as the child grows older
(Finzi-Dottan & Karu, 2006).
What is clear is that the association between a parent’s having a psychological
disorder and the increased risk of the child’s later developing a psychological disor-
der isn’t due solely to genetic vulnerability. One study found that when depressed
mothers received treatment, their symptoms improved and so did their children’s
symptoms of anxiety, depression, and disruptive behaviors. Prior to their mother’s
successful treatment, a third of the children had symptoms severe enough to be clas-
sifi ed as psychological disorders. The more positively a mother responded to her
treatment, the less likely her children were to continue to have symptoms (Weissman
et al., 2006).Community Support
Social support—the comfort and assistance that an individual receives through
interactions with others—can buffer the stressful events that occur throughout
life (Silver & Teasdale, 2005). Conversely, a lack of social support can make
people more vulnerable to various psychological disorders (Scarpa, Haden, &
Hurley, 2006). College students who experience high levels of stress, for in-
stance, are less likely to be depressed if they have relatively high levels of social
support (Pengilly & Dowd, 2000). Here’s another example of the buffering
effects of social support: When people are exposed to trauma during military
service, they are less likely to develop posttraumatic stress disorder—anxiety
and other symptoms that arise as a result of experiencing a trauma—if they have
strong social support when they return home (Dikel, Engdahl, & Eberly, 2005;
King et al., 1998).
The Beale women did not have much social support in their extended fam-
ily or community, but they had each other, which clearly played a role in limit-
ing whatever distress they may have felt about their lifestyle and circumstances.
Little Edie noted, “My mother really was the most extraordinary member of the
family. She was always singing.... I was happy to be alone with mother be-
cause we created the sort of life we liked, and it was very private and beautiful”
(Wright, 2006, p. 17). On another occasion, Little Edie said of their singing,
“That’s really the only thing that we live for really. That we love and enjoy”Social support can lessen the detrimental after-
effects of a stressful event such as an untimely
death. People who do not have such support
have a higher risk of developing a psychological
disorder.Mike Theiler/Getty Images
P SNSocial support
The comfort and assistance that an individual
receives through interactions with others.