ABSTRACT
Given the central role that parental sensitivity may potentially play in the intergenerational transmission of social maladjustment, intervention regarding the parental sensitivity of mothers with social adaptation difficulties is vital. Our aim was to compare the parental sensitivity of 33 adolescent mothers in group homes with that of a school group of 63 adolescent mothers divided into two subgroups according to the presence or absence of a conduct disorder diagnosis. Our results revealed that the proportion of sensitive mothers was greater among the adolescents living in group homes (29%) than among the group of adolescent mothers with a conduct disorder diagnosis who did not live in group homes during the first four months of their children's lives (7%). In particular, we found a smaller proportion of unresponsive mothers in the first group than in the second. The lack of difference among the groups with regards to the numbers of controlling mothers may be explained by the greater difficulty experienced for group home staff members in detecting overly controlling behavior in mothers and taking appropriate action to avoid any risk of physical abuse of children.