Parenting in the context of historical childhood trauma: An interpretive meta-synthesis

Parents with childhood trauma histories are more likely to experience difficulties with child-rearing. The literature often pathologizes the parenting behaviours of parents with abuse histories, meaning strengths sometimes are neglected OBJECTIVE: This article presents a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies into the parenting experiences of survivors of childhood abuse. This analysis was undertaken to develop awareness of the experiences of this population, with the hope findings would be of use to policy-makers and professionals supporting parents and their children.

Following a systematic search and process of quality appraisal, 11 papers were subjected to an interpretive meta-synthesis, utilising a meta-ethnographic method.

Three themes were generated. Forming a Parental Identity Through the Lens of Trauma related to how parents and authors of the primary studies tended to interpret all parenting experiences, especially challenges, in terms of the effects of childhood abuse. Protecting Against Cycles of Abuse related to many parents fearing they would be unable to protect children from harm. The Need for Safe Support was concerned with how parents often felt they needed support but experienced this as unsafe.

Results pointed to how ambivalence towards professional input should typically be regarded as understandable in the context of lived-experience of abused parents. Professionals should seek to avoid pathologizing parental difficulties and support parents by normalising and making sense of difficult emotional reactions in order to support engagement and promote containing parent-child interactions. Trauma-informed approaches to therapy could usefully be employed by services and agencies working with parents to support children.