Does parent-child attachment play a role in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and depression? Evidence...

Previous research on the impact of childhood maltreatment on child depression has been relatively limited. And few studies have investigated the potential mechanisms of father-child attachment and mother-child attachment. In terms of research design, most studies have focused on cross-sectional designs. The few studies employing longitudinal designs often mix between-individual and within-individual levels of analysis.

This study aims to examine the influence of early childhood maltreatment on child depression through a longitudinal research design, with a focus on the mediating roles of father-child attachment and mother-child attachment.

The sample consist of 1030 children (65.36 % boys) from a city in northern China, with an average age of 8.86 years.

Participants were assessed every six months for childhood maltreatment, parent-child attachment, and depression, with a total of three assessments conducted over one and a half years. CLPM, RI-CLPM and PP-LGCM were applied to examine the effects of childhood maltreatment on child depression and the mediating roles of father-child attachment and mother-child attachment.

The results of the CLPM demonstrated that childhood maltreatment significantly predict child depression. Father-child attachment and mother-child attachment partially mediated the relationship between maltreatment and child depression. Results from the RI-CLPM and PP-LGCM showed that childhood maltreatment significantly predicts child depression, but the mediating effects of both father-child attachment and mother-child attachment were not significant.

The severity of childhood maltreatment may be associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of father-child and mother-child attachment. The mediating role of attachment in the link between maltreatment and depression appears to be primarily driven by between-individual differences.