Maternal Interpersonal Trauma and Child Social-Emotional Development: An Intergenerational Effect

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

• Maternal interpersonal trauma is a known risk factor for adverse offspring health outcomes.
• Limited understanding exists regarding the specific pathways through which maternal trauma impacts child development.
• This study focuses on an at-risk population receiving early childhood home visiting services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the direct and indirect associations between maternal interpersonal trauma exposure and offspring social-emotional development at 12 months of age.
• To examine the role of psychosocial mediators, including maternal depressive symptoms, social support, and home environment.
• To analyze the influence of the level and type of maternal interpersonal trauma on child outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective cohort study of 1172 mother-child dyads from a multi-site home visiting program.
• Data collected from prenatal/birth enrollment through 12 months of child age.
• Multivariable path analyses used to assess relationships between maternal trauma, psychosocial mediators, and child social-emotional development (measured by ASQ:SE).

Main Results:

• Maternal interpersonal trauma was prevalent (69.1%) and associated with significantly higher offspring social-emotional risk scores (ASQ:SE).
• Maternal depressive symptoms and lower social support mediated approximately 23.4% of the total effect of trauma on child development.
• The impact of interpersonal trauma varied based on its level and type of exposure.

Conclusions:

• Maternal interpersonal trauma negatively influences child social-emotional development, partly through maternal psychosocial factors.
• Intergenerational risk transmission mechanisms warrant further investigation.
• Findings highlight the importance of addressing maternal trauma and psychosocial well-being in early intervention programs.