When one childhood meets another : maternal child maltreatment and offspring child psychopathology

Studies have shown that a mother’s history of child maltreatment is associated with her child’s experience of internalising and externalising difficulties.
This study aimed to characterise the mediating pathways that may underpin this association. Data on a mother’s history of child maltreatment, depression during pregnancy, depression after birth, maladaptive parenting practices and her child’s experience of maltreatment and preadolescent internalising and externalising difficulties were analysed in a sample of 9,397 mother-child dyads followed prospectively from pregnancy to child age 13.
The results showed that maternal history of child maltreatment was significantly associated with child internalising and externalising difficulties in preadolescence. Maternal antenatal depression, post-birth depression, maladaptive parenting and child maltreatment were observed to significantly mediate this association.
The study concluded that psychological and psychosocial interventions focused around treating maternal depression, particularly during pregnancy, and improving parenting skills, could be offered to mothers with traumatic childhood experiences to help protect against psychopathology in the next generation