Examining the Relationship between Maternal Childhood Maltreatment and Parenting Among First-Time Mothers

Background and Purpose: Research in the field of child welfare emphasizes the impact childhood maltreatment can have on future parenting beliefs and behaviors. The intergenerational transmission of maltreatment has become an area of focus for prevention and intervention efforts given the long-lasting influence parental context has on child development (Egeland et al., 1988; Langeland & Dijkstra, 1995). The current longitudinal investigation furthered the current understanding of the mechanisms through which intergenerational transmission of maltreatment occurs by examining the direct and indirect effects that different types of childhood maltreatment have on parenting. Rooted in Albert Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory (1977), this study positioned parenting self-efficacy as a mediator (M) between maternal childhood maltreatment experiences (X) and parenting stress and behaviors (Y). It was hypothesized that 1) maternal experiences with childhood maltreatment will predict lower levels of parenting self-efficacy and positive parenting behaviors as well as higher levels of parenting stress, and 2) greater parenting self-efficacy will predict lower levels of parenting stress and higher levels of positive parenting behaviors.

Methods: Performing secondary data analysis on the Predicting and Preventing Neglect in Teen Mothers Study from 2001-2007, the present longitudinal study utilized data collected from 522 first-time mothers across four geographic regions of the United States during the prenatal period as well as at the following infant age intervals: 6, 24, and 30-months old. This sample was composed of majority Black (63.6%) first-time mothers while 15.5% identified as Hispanic White. Additionally, 57.3% of participants were teen mothers, 23.2% were low-education adult mothers, and 19.5% were high-education adult mothers. Both self-reported measures and researcher-rated observational measures were utilized, including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire – Short Form (CTQ-SF) at the 6-month follow-up, Borkowski Parenting Self-Efficacy Questionnaire and Parenting Stress Index – Short Form (PSI-SF) both at the 24-month follow-up, and Landry Naturalistic Observation of Parenting at the 30-month follow-up. A series of multiple linear regression analyses were conducted (Baron & Kenny, 1986; Shrout & Bolger, 2002). Sobel testing was utilized to test the significance of mediation.

Results: Regarding direct effects, results indicated emotional neglect significantly predicted higher levels of parenting stress. Physical abuse significantly predicted lower levels of demonstrating/physical teaching during mother-infant interactions. The testing of indirect effects established mediation for three pathways regarding emotional neglect and parenting stress, physical neglect and parenting stress, and physical abuse and parenting stress. Emotional neglect and physical neglect each predicted lower levels of parenting self-efficacy. Opposite of the expected direction, physical abuse predicted higher levels of parenting self-efficacy. Higher parenting self-efficacy predicted lower levels of parenting stress.

Conclusions and Implications: This study implicates avenues forward in clinical practice aimed toward intervening in the cycle of childhood maltreatment from one generation to the next. These results illustrate that it is critical to develop and execute therapeutic interventions for at-risk mothers centered on enhancing their sense of parenting self-efficacy while simultaneously addressing their childhood maltreatment experiences from a trauma-focused approach. Additionally, the unexpected finding regarding the association between physical abuse and higher levels of parenting self-efficacy warrants further investigation.