Papers by Björn Salomonsson
A randomized controlled trial of motherinfant psychoanalytic treatment Björn Salomonsson Stockhol... more A randomized controlled trial of motherinfant psychoanalytic treatment Björn Salomonsson Stockholm 2010 II All previously published papers were reproduced with permission from the publisher.
International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, May 22, 2017
ADHD is increasingly seen as associated with cerebral dysfunction and caused by it. This developm... more ADHD is increasingly seen as associated with cerebral dysfunction and caused by it. This development is concomitant with an emphasis on medication, behavioural treatments, and parent training programmes. In contrast, psychoanalytic therapy has receded into the background and is often viewed as inefficient or even noxious. This paper argues that such views are based on a misunderstanding of the scope of psychotherapy. Though much more systematic research is needed to establish its efficacy, it can inform on the ADHD child's emotional experiences. It can shed light on the connections between his/her inner world and symptoms, such as attention deficits, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. On the other hand, it cannot establish causality in the individual or general case. If we recall that the diagnosis is based on a list of symptoms, not of etiology, we realize that this limitation applies to any scientific perspective on ADHD. Psychoanalytic treatment is one of several approaches to understanding ADHD and helping the child cope with it. This is achieved by the psychoanalytic method, a hermeneutic approach with which the analyst interprets the child's behaviours and communications as they emerge in the session. The implications of such an approach are discussed.
Revista Brasileira de Psicanálise, Sep 1, 2017
Resumo: O artigo é baseado em um único estudo de caso de uma mãe e sua filha, dos 5 meses aos 7 a... more Resumo: O artigo é baseado em um único estudo de caso de uma mãe e sua filha, dos 5 meses aos 7 anos e meio desta. Elas participaram de um ensaio clínico aleatório durante o tratamento psicanalítico mãe-criança, o que incluiu um estudo de acompanhamento após 4 anos e meio. A menina fazia, então, psicoterapia infantil dos 6 aos 7 anos e meio. A mistura de contextos levou em conta entrevistas de pesquisa, gravações em vídeo das interações da dupla, outras avaliações, e anotações das sessões terapêuticas. Isto permitiu aos autores estabelecerem ligações conceituais entre as observações feitas por eles durante o início da infância da criança e o tratamento de uma neurose durante o período de latência, marcada por ansiedade, compulsões e prepotência. Eles argumentam que características de rispidez 4 Björn Salomonsson.
Mindfulness, 2021
Objective Maternal stress and depression in pregnancy and early parenting are associated with dec... more Objective Maternal stress and depression in pregnancy and early parenting are associated with decreased maternal sensitivity and infant social-emotional development impairments. This randomized controlled trial explored if a Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting Program (MBCP) is more beneficial than a Lamaze program for infant’s social-emotional development. Infant social-emotional development was also explored in the light of maternal psychological states. Methods Pregnant women at risk of perinatal stress and depression were included and randomized to either MBCP or Lamaze. The Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE) regarding infant social-emotional development was filled out by the mothers (n = 88) 3 months postpartum. Data on mode of delivery, skin-to-skin care, and breastfeeding rates was collected from medical records and self-report questionnaires. The women also filled out self-report questionnaires: Perceived Stress Scale, Edinburgh Postpartum Depres...
Infant Mental Health Journal, 2020
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrate efficacy of parent-infant psychotherapy, but its ... more Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrate efficacy of parent-infant psychotherapy, but its applicability and effectiveness in public health care are less known. The method followed is Naturalistic study evaluating Short-term Psychodynamic Infant-Parent Interventions at Child Health Centers (SPIPIC) in Stockholm, Sweden. One hundred distressed mothers with infants were recruited by supervised nurses. Six therapists provided 4.3 therapy sessions on average (SD = 3.3). Sessions typically included the mothers, often with the baby present, while fathers rarely attended sessions. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional (ASQ: SE) were distributed at baseline and at 3 and 9 months later. Data from a nonclinical group were collected simultaneously to provide norm data. Multilevel growth models on the mothers' questionnaire scores showed significant decreases over time on both measures. Nine months after baseline, 50% achieved a reliable change on the EPDS and 14% on the ASQ: SE. Prepost effect-sizes (d) were 0.70 and 0.40 for EPDS and ASQ: SE, figures that are comparable to results of other controlled studies. Psychotherapists integrated with public health care seem to achieve good results when supporting distressed mothers with brief interventions in the postnatal period. SPIPIC needs to be compared with other modalities and organizational frameworks.
International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 2004
The author addresses issues interfacing neuropsychiatry and psychoanalysis. He recommends psychoa... more The author addresses issues interfacing neuropsychiatry and psychoanalysis. He recommends psychoanalysis for children with Attention Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Dysfunction in Attention and activity control, Motility control and Perception (DAMP). He attributes its low status in neuropsychiatric treatment recommendations partly to the fact that psychoanalysts do not always declare their specific field of investigation. The scientific community then assumes that psychoanalysis aims to comment on issues outside its field of investigation, e.g. on neurobiological aetiology. The community therefore fails to discern the psychoanalyst's specific task, to help the child express and work through his conscious and unconscious experiences. Clarity on the analyst's part will improve relations with the scientific community and facilitate a relevant comparison of treatment methods. Another reason for neuropsychiatry's negative attitude towards analysis is its unwillingness to accept that unconscious conflict influences behaviour. With theoretical and clinical arguments, the author argues that unconscious factors must be taken in to understand and to treat the child. Countertransference, often cumbersome with neuropsychiatric children, becomes easier to handle if the analyst is clear about his field of investigation. If he sees through simplistic formulations on aetiology, countertransference gets even more manageable. Psychoanalysis can result in considerable intellectual and emotional development, as illustrated by work with a latency boy with DAMP, autism and slight mental retardation. In his psychoanalytic theoretical framework of the case, the author unites ego-psychological formulations with a Bionian conceptualisation of the thought disturbance.
The Scandinavian Psychoanalytic Review, 2006
ABSTRACT
Aims: This thesis had three aims. (1) To explore a new treatment method of baby worries or mother... more Aims: This thesis had three aims. (1) To explore a new treatment method of baby worries or mother-infant relational disturbances; mother-infant psychoanalytic treatment (MIP). The exploration focused on clinical applicability and underlying theory. (2) To investigate a method of assessing infant functioning by a mother-report questionnaire on infant social and emotional functioning. (3) To compare outcomes of MIP treatments with the usual Child Health Centre care (CHCC) in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that included investigating moderating effects of patient and treatment factors. Material/Methods: Aim (1) was approached by investigating tape-recorded single-case vignettes of MIP treatments from the perspectives of psychoanalytic and semiotic theory and infant behavioural research. Aims (2) and (3) were approached by an RCT with a quantitative between-group comparison of MIP and CHCC. The sample consisted of 80 mothers and infants below 1.5 years, where the mother reported ba...
Aims: This thesis had three aims. (1) To explore a new treatment method of baby worries or mother... more Aims: This thesis had three aims. (1) To explore a new treatment method of baby worries or mother-infant relational disturbances; mother-infant psychoanalytic treatment (MIP). The exploration focused on clinical applicability and underlying theory. (2) To investigate a method of assessing infant functioning by a mother-report questionnaire on infant social and emotional functioning. (3) To compare outcomes of MIP treatments with the usual Child Health Centre care (CHCC) in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that included investigating moderating effects of patient and treatment factors. Material/Methods: Aim (1) was approached by investigating tape-recorded single-case vignettes of MIP treatments from the perspectives of psychoanalytic and semiotic theory and infant behavioural research. Aims (2) and (3) were approached by an RCT with a quantitative between-group comparison of MIP and CHCC. The sample consisted of 80 mothers and infants below 1.5 years, where the mother reported ba...
The International Journal of Psychoanalysis (en español), 2017
The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 2007
Infants suffer to a considerable degree from disturbances in nursing, sleep, mood, and attachment... more Infants suffer to a considerable degree from disturbances in nursing, sleep, mood, and attachment. Psychotherapeutic methods are increasingly used to help them. According to case reports, psychoanalytic work with infants and mothers has shown deep-reaching and often surprisingly rapid results, both in symptom reduction and in improved relations between mother and child. The clinical urgency of the method makes it important to study its results and theoretical underpinnings. Among the theoretical issues often raised in discussions on this modifi ed form of psychoanalysis, those addressing the nature of communication between analyst, baby, and the mother are the most frequent. For example, how and what does an infant understand when the analyst interprets to her? What does the analyst understand of the infant's communication? These issues are addressed by investigating the infant's tools for understanding linguistic and emotional communication, and by providing a semiotic framework for describing the communication between the three participants in the analytic setting. The paper also investigates problems with the traditional ways of using the concept of symbolization within psychoanalytic theory. The theoretical investigation is illustrated by two brief vignettes from psychoanalytic work with an 8 month-old girl and her mother.
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Papers by Björn Salomonsson