Maternal Childhood Trauma and Children's Developmental Course of Aggressive Behavior from Ages 4 to 12

A growing literature documents the intergenerational effects of maternal childhood trauma (MCT) on offspring developmental outcomes. However, cross-sectional designs of prior studies limit understanding of long-term effects of MCT on the next generation. We examined the long-term association of MCT with the developmental trajectory of their children's aggressive behavior from preschool years to preadolescence, while considering maternal psychological distress as a potential mediator in a high-risk sample.

Mother-child dyads (N = 256; 55% girls), urban, primarily African American, were enrolled in a prospective study about the sequelae of prenatal cocaine exposure. Aggressive behavior was assessed with the caregiver-reported Child Behavior Checklist at ages 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, and 12. At offspring age of 4 years, MCT was caregiver-reported using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and psychological distress via the Brief Symptom Inventory.

Latent growth curve modeling indicated that MCT was indirectly associated with overall child aggressive behavior from 4-12 years of age via maternal psychological distress. Children's postnatal violence exposure was associated with a slower rate of decline in aggressive behavior over time. Boys had slower declines in aggression at a trend level, compared to girls.

MCT has a long-term adverse association with children's aggressive behavior via maternal psychological distress, which points to the need for therapeutic interventions that involve the provision of trauma-informed maternal support and the promotion of healthy behaviors of children. Postnatal violence exposure was also identified as a critical target of prevention to mitigate maladaptive development of aggression in children.