A mixed methods investigation of the association between child sexual abuse and subsequent maternal parenting

Parenting Among Mothers Who Experienced Child Sexual Abuse: A Qualitative Systematic Review

“…In this review, we found that mothers report a number of child-rearing practices are affected by CSA experiences, including discipline, intimate parenting behaviors, parenting knowledge and skills, and the ability to parent. Although heterogeneity exists, impaired child-rearing practices have also been identified in quantitative studies on this topic (Lange et al, 2019a). Interestingly, given the number of mothers reporting difficulties with intimate parenting behaviors and their parenting knowledge and skills qualitatively, few quantitative studies have attempted to assess these associations (Lange et al, 2019a), pointing to the need for future research in this area.…”

“…Multiple qualitative studies also described the effects of maternal CSA history on breastfeeding and the mother–child relationship, including availability and bonding, communication, role-reversal, ability to give the child room to grow, and the relationship generally. Quantitative studies have also assessed these associations, with most finding mixed results (Lange et al, 2019a). Critically, mothers qualitatively reported both positive and negative experiences in these areas, which may help explain the mixed results found in quantitative studies.…”

“…Perceptions of both the child and motherhood were also extensively discussed by mothers in studies included in this review. Quantitative studies on these topics have often found mixed results (Lange et al, 2019a). Again, this may be due to variation in whether mothers perceived both motherhood and their child positively or negatively.…”

“…Those conducting future quantitative research on these topics may want to carefully consider the mixed reports of mothers in the qualitative literature. Furthermore, researchers should consider examining positive perceptions stemming from CSA in future quantitative studies, as currently quantitative literature often focuses on negative aspects, such as stress or behavior problems of children (Lange et al, 2019a).…”

“…As will be discussed in the results, two overarching themes arose from the qualitative data: parenting related to CSA (i.e., the abuse status of the children of mothers with CSA histories, how mothers react to this abuse, and how they protect their children from abuse) and parenting generally (i.e., breastfeeding, child-rearing practices, coping related to parenting, the mother–child relationship, perceptions of children, and perceptions of motherhood). Due to the large number of studies located in the quantitative review ( N = 166), results were divided according to these two overarching themes and are presented elsewhere (Lange, Condon, & Gardner, 2019a, 2019b).…”