Child maltreatment: An intergenerational cascades model of risk processes potentiating child psychopathology

Mediators and moderators in the relationship between maternal childhood adversity and children's emotional and behavioural development: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Of note, one study reported that both maternal antenatal and postnatal depression independently mediated the relationship between MCA and children's emotional-behavioural problems, with 20 and 6% of the total effects on child internalising behaviours, and 14 and 37% on child externalising behaviours being explained by antenatal and postnatal depression respectively (Plant et al, 2017). On the other hand, four cross-sectional studies suggested that current maternal depression positively fully or partially mediated the pathway from MCA to child problems, such as anxiety and depression, and rule-breaking and aggressive behaviours (Meller et al, 2016; Miranda, de la Osa, Granero, & Ezpeleta, 2013a, 2013b; Russotti et al, 2021), and one study suggested that maternal depression throughout life, rather than postnatal depression, played a mediating role beyond the postpartum period (Choi et al, 2019).…”

“…One study suggested that gestational diabetes, abortion history and smoking during pregnancy significantly mediated 3.5, 3.0 and 2.5% respectively, of the association between MCA and an increased risk of their children's autism (Roberts et al, 2013), while another study did not find perinatal risk factors to be mediators for ADHD (Roberts et al, 2018). Furthermore, maternal adolescent childbearing, their children's preterm birth or low birth weight were not significant mediators in the relationship between MCA and children's emotional-behavioural difficulties (Giallo et al, 2020; Russotti et al, 2021).…”

“…Notably, traumatic experiences in the children themselves have been posited as mediators in the link between MCA and child emotional-behavioural problems, with eight out of nine studies that investigated this factor reporting its significant role in mediating 17–47% of the total effects (Bosquet Enlow et al, 2018; Choi et al, 2019; Collishaw, Dunn, O'Connor, & Golding, 2007; Miranda, de la Osa, Granero, & Ezpeleta, 2013b; Plant et al, 2013; Plant et al, 2017; Russotti et al, 2021; Warmingham et al, 2020). Only one cross-sectional study, conducted among 101 predominantly African–American mother–child dyads living in high-risk neighbourhoods in the United States, did not report this link (Esteves et al, 2017), suggesting that socioeconomic deprivation may have attenuated the mediating effect of child traumatic experiences.…”

“…Most studies were published from 2011 onwards (n = 36, 90%), with most conducted in North America (n = 25, 61%) and Europe (n = 11, 27%), with sample sizes ranging from 45 to 109 758 mother-child dyads. While most studies were population-based, such as the Nurse's Health Study II (Roberts, Liew, Lyall, Ascherio, & Weisskopf, 2018;Roberts, Lyall, & Weisskopf, 2017;Roberts, Lyall, Rich-Edwards, Ascherio, & Weisskopf, 2013), the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) (Roberts, O'Connor, Dunn, Golding, & Team, 2004) and Generation R (Rijlaarsdam et al, 2014), there were also studies from specific populations, including four from children attending psychiatric outpatient services (Bodeker et al, 2019;Miranda et al, 2011Miranda et al, , 2013aMiranda et al, , 2013b, six from low-income families (Bosquet Enlow et al, 2018;McDonnell & Valentino, 2016;Min et al, 2013;Russotti, Warmingham, Handley, Rogosch, & Cicchetti, 2021;Thompson, 2007;Warmingham, Rogosch, & Cicchetti, 2020), and two including teenage mothers (Pasalich, Cyr, Zheng, McMahon, & Spieker, 2016;Yoon et al, 2019). The most common instruments used to evaluate children's outcomes were the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) (Achenbach, 2011;McConaughy, 2001) (n = 19, 46%) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) (Goodman, 1997) 15%), while the most commonly used measure for MCA was the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) (Bernstein, Fink, Handelsman, & Foote, 1998) (n = 18, 44%).…”

Examining Interpersonal Traumas Across Low Income Latinx Mother-Youth Dyads: Associations Between Maternal Child Abuse Exposure and Racial Discrimination with Mother and Youth Psychopathology

“…intergenerational consequence of CA exposure have shown that, while there are exceptions and mixed findings [15], parental exposure to CA is generally associated with higher potential for CA perpetration [16], as well as worse psychopathology in offspring [17,18].…”