<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: WAIMH handbook on infant mental health
Review: These four volumes are indeed an impressive collection of information on infant and child development edited by Joy D Osofsky, PhD from the Department of Psychiatry, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans and Hiram E Fitzgerald, PhD from the Institute for Children, Youth and Families, Michigan State University at East Lansing under the auspices of the World Association for Infant Mental Health. The first volume called Perspectives on infant mental health has 12 chapters on the origins of the field of infant mental health, a review of mother and infant health research in Japan, longitudinal aspects of early parent-infant interactions and contacts with mental health agencies, the development of infant mental health in Australia, a French view on the history of infant and child psychiatry, the sociocultural context of American Indian infant mental health, reviews of the situation and research in People's Republic of China, Brazil, Scandinavia, Russia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and finally work projects toward infant mental health in a child and adolescent psychiatric clinic in Uruguay. This last chapter has an interesting section on a research project of early bonding in adolescent mothers showing difficulty in recognizing and responding adequately to their baby's signals. The second volume on Early intervention, evaluation and assessment has 16 chapters on early relationship based intervention, reflective practice in infant, toddler and preschool programs, assessment of infants with medical conditions, infant mental health assessment, use of the Brazelton scale, diagnosis of infant disorders, clinical assessment of infant psychopathology, evaluating mother-infant psychotherapies, multidisciplinary perspectives, community based programs, training of professionals, early preventive intervention, play, temperament, one man's vision of training for the infant familiy field and preparing for the twenty first century. The subject of resiliency is discussed in detail and it is found that infants with a secure attachment have a greater "ego-resiliency" manifested by greater autonomy, persistence and enthusiasm in solving problems at the age of 42 months and more capacity to interact with peers and teachers in school than those with an insecure attachment. One interesting chapter is on Irving B Harris, describing one man's vision, efforts, investment and work to establish training in child development at several American and Israeli universities. The third volume is on Parenting and child care with 12 chapters on public policy, parenting toddlers, the emotional lives of American parents, poverty, attachment, difficult mothers, parenting infants, prebirth parents, fathering, intuitive parenting, maternal caregiving and exploring triangular relationships in infancy. The chapter on poverty and the effects on child development is well researched and finally there is one book, who also take fathers seriously.The fourth volume on Infant mental health in groups at high risk has 14 chapters on ecological perspectives, attachment-based interventions, attachment disorders, parental alcohol abuse, family violence, disordered young children, child maltreatment, early intervention, perinatal loss, adolescent mothers, persistent crying, infant depression, social policy and social inequalities in health. The editors have managed to keep a constant conformity throughout the four volumes, which stands out as a comprehensive handbook on infant and child development in all its aspects and will serve as a major resourse for clinicians, researchers, scholars and students of human development in the years to come. Professor Joav Merrick, MD
<< 1 >>
|
