* Improving antenatal risk assessment in women exposed to high risks.
- Antenatal substance use and related psychosocial risk factors are known to increase the likelihood of child protection involvement; less is known about the predictive nature of maternal reflective functioning (RF) in this population. This preliminary study assessed psychosocial and psychological risk factors for a group of substance dependent women exposed to high risks in pregnancy, and their impact on child protection involvement. Pregnant women on opiate substitution treatment (n = 11) and a comparison group (n = 15) were recruited during their third trimester to complete measures of RF (Pregnancy Interview), childhood trauma, mental health and psychosocial assessments. At postnatal follow-up, RF was reassessed (Parent Development Interview - Revised Short Version) and mother-infant dyads were videotaped to assess emotional availability (EA). Child protection services were contacted to determine if any concerns had been raised for infant safety. Significant between-group differences were observed for demographics, psychosocial factors, trauma and mental health symptoms. Unexpectedly, no significant differences were found for RF or EA between groups. Eight women in the 'exposed to high risks' group became involved with child protection services. Reflective functioning was not significantly associated with psychosocial risk factors, and therefore did not mediate the outcome of child protection involvement. Women 'exposed to high risks' were equally able to generate a model of their own and their infants' mental states and should not be seen within a deficit perspective. Further research is required to better understand the range of risk factors that predict child protection involvement in high risk groups.
Overview of verb observe
The verb observe has 9 senses (first 8 from tagged texts)
1. (39) detect, observe, find, discover, notice -- (discover or determine the existence, presence,
or fact of; "She detected high levels of lead in her drinking water"; "We found traces of lead in
the paint")
2. (17) note, observe, mention, remark -- (make mention of; "She observed that his presentation took
up too much time"; "They noted that it was a fine day to go sailing")
3. (12) note, take note, observe -- (observe with care or pay close attention to; "Take note of this
chemical reaction")
4. (10) observe -- (watch attentively; "Please observe the reaction of these two chemicals")
5. (4) respect, honor, honour, abide by, observe -- (show respect towards; "honor your parents!")
6. (3) observe, celebrate, keep -- (behave as expected during of holidays or rites; "Keep the
commandments"; "celebrate Christmas"; "Observe Yom Kippur")
7. (2) watch, observe, follow, watch over, keep an eye on -- (follow with the eyes or the mind;
"Keep an eye on the baby, please!"; "The world is watching Sarajevo"; "She followed the men with the
binoculars")
8. (1) observe, keep, maintain -- (stick to correctly or closely; "The pianist kept time with the
metronome"; "keep count"; "I cannot keep track of all my employees")
9. observe, keep -- (conform one's action or practice to; "keep appointments"; "she never keeps her
promises"; "We kept to the original conditions of the contract")
Overview of adj observed
The adj observed has 1 sense (first 1 from tagged texts)
1. (7) ascertained, discovered, observed -- (discovered or determined by scientific observation;
"variation in the ascertained flux depends on a number of factors"; "the discovered behavior norms";
"discovered differences in achievement"; "no explanation for the observed phenomena")
--- WordNet end ---