Maltreatment Associated Psychiatric Problems
1University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
2University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
3University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
Maltreatment Associated Psychiatric Problems
Description
A previous special issue of this journal focused on early symptomatic syndromes eliciting neurodevelopmental clinical examinations (ESSENCE) and one of the papers in that issue introduced the concept of maltreatment associated psychiatric problems (MAPP). MAPP is a syndrome of overlapping complex neurodevelopmental problems in children who have experienced abuse or neglect in early life (before the age of 5). We believe that children with MAPP are a hidden population in the community yet whose problems can seem overwhelming if referred to clinicians. Individual disorders associated with maltreatment are varied and can include reactive attachment disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorders, conduct disorders, and PTSD. Predisposing factors are likely to be both environmental and genetic. Because of the complex and overlapping nature of MAPP, with symptoms emerging in early life, we argued in the previous special issue that it should be considered an example of ESSENCE. We are aware of exciting new research and thinking emerging about this group of children from fields as disparate as epidemiology, neurosciences, genetics, and social policy and believe that MAPP warrants a special issue of its own.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Definitions of maltreatment: policy/research/practice implications of variations/changes
- Diagnostic/detection issues (attachment versus neurodevelopmental disorders; attachment styles versus attachment disorders; implications for practice)
- Brain effects of maltreatment
- Overview of advances in interventions