Relational Interventions for Maltreated Children

Child maltreatment may be best characterized as a pathogenic relational experience which primarily occurs in the mother–child relationship. As such, enhancing the mother–child relationship is the key process that should be targeted in intervention approaches for child maltreatment. Two salient and modifiable components of the mother–child relationship are highlighted: maternal sensitivity and attachment organization. It is argued, from a developmental psychopathology perspective, why focusing on these issues hold the most promise for interrupting negative developmental cascades and promoting resilience among maltreated children. Utilization of a tiered approach to delivering increasingly intensive relational interventions is recommended as are future directions for translational research and dissemination.