Developmental Origins of Ghosts and Angels in the Nursery: Adverse and Benevolent Childhood Experiences

Abstract

The present study examined developmental antecedents of angels and ghosts in the nursery during the pregnancy and postnatal periods. Higher levels of benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) were hypothesized to predict higher levels of angels in the nursery at both periods, whereas higher levels of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) were expected to predict higher levels of ghost in the nursery at both periods. Participants were 101 low-income, ethnically diverse pregnant women (M = 29.10 years, SD = 6.56, range = 18–44; 37% Latina, 22% African American, 20% White, 13% biracial/multiracial, 8% other) planning to deliver at an urban general hospital. During their second or third trimester, they reported on ACEs, BCEs, and demographic information. During pregnancy and 3–4 months of postnatal, they completed the Angels in the Nursery Interview (Van Horn, Lieberman, & Harris, 2008), coded by trained raters for quality of loving memories with childhood caregivers (angel memories) and traumatic intrusions of childhood adversity (ghost memories). Results revealed moderate stability of angel and ghost memories across the perinatal period. Higher levels of BCEs directly predicted higher levels of angel memories during pregnancy, and indirectly predicted higher levels of angel memories during the postnatal period through angel memories during pregnancy. Higher levels of ACEs directly predicted higher levels of ghost memories during both periods. BCEs did not predict ghost memories and ACEs did not predict angel memories. Findings support independent pathways of risk and resilience through the pregnancy period with distinct origins in women’s childhood adversity versus positive childhood experiences. Implications for promoting intergenerational resilience by linking and leveraging BCEs and angel memories and recovering from ACEs and ghost memories are discussed.