The Cycle of Abuse: Emotional Availability in Resilient and Non-Resilient Mothers with Early Life Maltreatment

Mielke, Emilia L.; Neukel, Corinne; Fuchs, Anna; Hillmann, Karen; Zietlow, Anna‐Lena; Bertsch, Katja; Reck, Corinna; Möhler, Eva; Herpertz, Sabine C.

doi:10.1159/000509904

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…In summary, our findings confirm that those who have experienced CT is at increased risk of emotions of anger. In order to stop the cycle of abuse, 69,70 it is important that clinicians are aware of this relationship, explore adverse childhood experiences, and start trauma-focused therapeutic interventions when appropriate. Twin and adoption studies may help to disentangle the complex effects of genetic vulnerability and traumatic childhood experiences on the development of the complex psychological constructs and behaviors associated with anger.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood trauma and anger in adults with and without depressive and anxiety disorders

Bles

Putz

Ottenheim

et al. 2023

Acta Psychiatr Scand

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BackgroundChildhood trauma (CT) is associated with severe sequelae, including stress‐related mental health disorders that can perpetuate long into adulthood. A key mechanism in this relationship seems to be emotion regulation. We aimed to investigate (1) whether childhood trauma is associated with anger in adulthood, and, if so, (2) to explore which types of childhood trauma predominate in the prediction of anger in a cohort that included participants with and without current affective disorders.MethodsIn the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), childhood trauma was assessed with a semi‐structured Childhood Trauma Interview (CTI) at baseline, and analyzed in relation to anger as measured at a 4‐year follow‐up with the Spielberger Trait Anger Subscale (STAS), the Anger Attacks Questionnaire, and cluster B personality traits (i.e., borderline, antisocial) of the Personality Disorder Questionnaire 4 (PDQ‐4), using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and multivariable logistic regression analyses. Post hoc analyses comprised cross‐sectional regression analyses, using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire‐Short Form (CTQ‐SF) also obtained at a 4‐year follow‐up.ResultsParticipants (n = 2271) were on average 42.1 years (SD = 13.1), and 66.2% were female. Childhood trauma showed a dose–response association with all anger constructs. All types of childhood trauma were significantly associated with borderline personality traits, independently of depression and anxiety. Additionally, all types of childhood trauma except for sexual abuse were associated with higher levels of trait anger, and a higher prevalence of anger attacks and antisocial personality traits in adulthood. Cross‐sectionally, the effect sizes were larger compared with the analyses with the childhood trauma measured 4 years prior to the anger measures.ConclusionsChildhood trauma is linked with anger in adulthood, which could be of particular interest in the context of psychopathology. Focus on childhood traumatic experiences and adulthood anger may help to enhance the effectiveness of treatment for patients with depressive and anxiety disorders. Trauma‐focused interventions should be implemented when appropriate.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood trauma and anger in adults with and without depressive and anxiety disorders

Bles

Putz

Ottenheim

et al. 2023

Acta Psychiatr Scand

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“…Furthermore, our work group demonstrated in a previous study (UBICA-I) that mothers with a history of depression and severe early life maltreatment (ELM) show reduced maternal sensitivity, i.e., a less accurate and timed responsiveness to and perception of the child’s signals [ 16 ], when interacting with their child [ 17 ]. As maternal sensitivity appears to be especially diminished when mothers had experienced ELM and additionally suffered from a mental disorder in contrast to mothers who had experienced ELM but did not develop a mental disorder, parental psychopathology seems to be of special relevance when it comes to negatively altered parenting behavior [ 18 ]. With respect to personality disorders, maternal BPD has been associated with increased hostility towards the child, which further mediated the relationship between maternal BPD and behavioral problems in the child [ 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental Mental Illness, Borderline Personality Disorder, and Parenting Behavior: The Moderating Role of Social Support

Seeger

Neukel

Williams

et al. 2022

Curr Psychiatry Rep

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Purpose of Review Parental mental disorders, particularly borderline personality disorder (BPD), impair parenting behavior. Consequently, the children exhibit an elevated risk for psychopathology across their lifespan. Social support for parents is thought to moderate the relationship between parental mental illness and parenting behavior. It may dampen negative effects and serve as starting point for preventive interventions. This paper provides a literature overview regarding the impact of social support on the sequelae of parental mental illness and BPD for parenting behavior. Recent Findings Current literature highlights the increased burden of families with a mentally ill parent and associated changes in parenting behavior like increased hostility and affective dysregulation, especially in the context of parental BPD. Literature further demonstrates the powerful impact of social support in buffering such negative outcomes. The effect of social support seems to be moderated itself by further factors like socioeconomic status, gender, or characteristics of the social network. Summary Social support facilitates positive parenting in mentally ill parents and may be particularly important in parents with BPD. However, social support is embedded within a framework of influencing factors, which need consideration when interpreting scientific results.

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“…Literature shows that mothers of adolescents with BPD are more likely to have BPD or other affective disorders themselves [93]. Also, resilience to trauma could be considered in this context: it has been previously discussed if maternal ELM alone or rather the combination with a mental disorder would negatively influence mother-child interactions [56,65]. Therefore, although in our study mothers of both groups reported similar levels of ELM, the combination of maternal ELM and ensuing psychopathology might be contributing to the development of child BPD traits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mother–child interactions in adolescents with borderline personality disorder traits and the impact of early life maltreatment

Williams

Fleck

Fuchs

et al. 2023

Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health

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Background Early detection and intervention of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in adolescence has become a public health priority. Theoretical models emphasize the role of social interactions and transgenerational mechanisms in the development of the disorder suggesting a closer look at caregiver-child relationships. Methods The current study investigated mother-adolescent interactions and their association with adolescent BPD traits by using a case–control design. Thirty-eight adolescent patients with ≥ 3 BPD traits and their mothers (BPD-G) were investigated in contrast to 35 healthy control dyads (HC-G). Maternal, adolescent and dyadic behavior was coded using the Coding Interactive Behavior Manual (CIB) during two interactions: a fun day planning and a stress paradigm. Additional effects of maternal and/or adolescent early life maltreatment (ELM) on behavior were also explored. Results BPD-G displayed a significantly lower quality of maternal, adolescent and dyadic behavior than the HC-G during both interactions. Maternal and adolescent behavior was predicted by BPD traits alone, whilst dyadic behavior was also influenced by general adolescent psychopathology. Exploratory analyses of CIB subscales showed that whilst HC-G increased their reciprocal behavior during stress compared to the fun day planning, BPD-G dyads decreased it. Maternal ELM did not differ between groups or have any effect on behavior. Adolescent ELM was correlated with behavioral outcome variables, but did not explain behavioral outcomes above and beyond the effect of clinical status. Discussion/Conclusion Our data suggest a stronger focus on parent–child interactions in BPD-specific therapies to enhance long-term treatment outcomes in adolescent BPD patients. Further research employing study designs that allow the analyses of bidirectional transactions (e.g. longitudinal design, behavioral microcoding) is needed.

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The Cycle of Abuse: Emotional Availability in Resilient and Non-Resilient Mothers with Early Life Maltreatment

Cited by 8 publications

References 39 publications

Childhood trauma and anger in adults with and without depressive and anxiety disorders

Childhood trauma and anger in adults with and without depressive and anxiety disorders

Parental Mental Illness, Borderline Personality Disorder, and Parenting Behavior: The Moderating Role of Social Support

Mother–child interactions in adolescents with borderline personality disorder traits and the impact of early life maltreatment

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