Maternal History of Childhood Maltreatment and Children's Cognitive and Social Development

A growing literature provides evidence of long-term effects of childhood sexual trauma (CST), however the intergenerational consequences of CST are not well understood. In the current study we examine the adjustment of children whose mothers reported a history of CST compared to children whose mothers did not report childhood trauma across multiple domains of functioning. Data for these analyses were obtained from a longitudinal study of low-income, rural families. Propensity score matching (PSM) methodology was used to create a contrast group matched on maternal family of origin variables in an effort to isolate and examine the long-term associations of maternal CST history beyond the effects of other childhood adversities such as poverty (total N = 204). After controlling for numerous child and primary caregiver covariates, findings indicate that a maternal history of CST is related to higher levels of teacher reports of behavioral problems and academic skills in the classroom setting in Kindergarten and First grade. This study adds to the growing literature on the effects of maternal CST on offspring development. Implications for interventions with children with mothers reporting a history of CST and directions for future study are proposed.