Long-term consequences of childhood emotional abuse in mothers on parental load and child mental health

Background: Childhood emotional maltreatment can be associated with long-term consequences on mental health. In addition, transgenerational transmission of adverse childhood experiences to the next generation can occur and thus have an impact on the mental health of one's own children. Objectiv...

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Main Authors: Katharina Rost, Emily Gossmann, Jörg M. Fegert, Ute Ziegenhain, Franziska Köhler-Dauner
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-04-01
Series:Acta Psychologica
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691824000465
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author Katharina Rost
Emily Gossmann
Jörg M. Fegert
Ute Ziegenhain
Franziska Köhler-Dauner
author_facet Katharina Rost
Emily Gossmann
Jörg M. Fegert
Ute Ziegenhain
Franziska Köhler-Dauner
author_sort Katharina Rost
collection DOAJ
description Background: Childhood emotional maltreatment can be associated with long-term consequences on mental health. In addition, transgenerational transmission of adverse childhood experiences to the next generation can occur and thus have an impact on the mental health of one's own children. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the role of stress on the association between childhood emotional maltreatment and parental load what is referred to in this study as limitations in parental functioning that affect the resources available to parents to cope with the demands of raising, caring for, and providing for their child. Furthermore the effect of parental load on the mental health of one's own children will be examined. Participants and setting: N = 237 mother-child dyads (age mother M = 33.76, SD = 4.07 years; age child M = 11.91 months, SD = 0.89 months) from a longitudinal cohort study were examined at two different measuring points. Methods: Emotional abuse, perceived stress, parental load and child mental health were assessed using self and external report questionnaires. Results: The calculation of a mediation showed that the association of emotional abuse and parental load was completely mediated by perceived stress (indirect effect ab = 0.44, 95 %-CI[0.17, 0.78]). In addition, effects of parental load on the child's mental health (β = 0.13, 95%CI [0.07;0.20]), mainly hyperactivity (β = 0.06, 95%CI [0.03;0.11]) and prosocial behavior (β = −0.04, 95%CI [−0.07; −0.01]), were evident. Conclusions: The results of this study provide evidence that the mental health of children can be influenced in the long term by increased parental load.
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spelling doaj.art-ecd3506146b54e8db062833d70e362732024-03-18T04:33:45ZengElsevierActa Psychologica0001-69182024-04-01244104169Long-term consequences of childhood emotional abuse in mothers on parental load and child mental healthKatharina Rost0Emily Gossmann1Jörg M. Fegert2Ute Ziegenhain3Franziska Köhler-Dauner4Corresponding author at: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Ulm, Steinhövelstraße 5, 89075 Ulm, Germany.; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy, Ulm University, Ulm, GermanyDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy, Ulm University, Ulm, GermanyDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy, Ulm University, Ulm, GermanyDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy, Ulm University, Ulm, GermanyCorresponding author at: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Ulm, Steinhövelstraße 5, 89075 Ulm, Germany.; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy, Ulm University, Ulm, GermanyBackground: Childhood emotional maltreatment can be associated with long-term consequences on mental health. In addition, transgenerational transmission of adverse childhood experiences to the next generation can occur and thus have an impact on the mental health of one's own children. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the role of stress on the association between childhood emotional maltreatment and parental load what is referred to in this study as limitations in parental functioning that affect the resources available to parents to cope with the demands of raising, caring for, and providing for their child. Furthermore the effect of parental load on the mental health of one's own children will be examined. Participants and setting: N = 237 mother-child dyads (age mother M = 33.76, SD = 4.07 years; age child M = 11.91 months, SD = 0.89 months) from a longitudinal cohort study were examined at two different measuring points. Methods: Emotional abuse, perceived stress, parental load and child mental health were assessed using self and external report questionnaires. Results: The calculation of a mediation showed that the association of emotional abuse and parental load was completely mediated by perceived stress (indirect effect ab = 0.44, 95 %-CI[0.17, 0.78]). In addition, effects of parental load on the child's mental health (β = 0.13, 95%CI [0.07;0.20]), mainly hyperactivity (β = 0.06, 95%CI [0.03;0.11]) and prosocial behavior (β = −0.04, 95%CI [−0.07; −0.01]), were evident. Conclusions: The results of this study provide evidence that the mental health of children can be influenced in the long term by increased parental load.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691824000465Emotional abuseTransgenerational transmissionParenting stressParenting loadChild mental health
spellingShingle Katharina Rost
Emily Gossmann
Jörg M. Fegert
Ute Ziegenhain
Franziska Köhler-Dauner
Long-term consequences of childhood emotional abuse in mothers on parental load and child mental health
Acta Psychologica
Emotional abuse
Transgenerational transmission
Parenting stress
Parenting load
Child mental health
title Long-term consequences of childhood emotional abuse in mothers on parental load and child mental health
title_full Long-term consequences of childhood emotional abuse in mothers on parental load and child mental health
title_fullStr Long-term consequences of childhood emotional abuse in mothers on parental load and child mental health
title_full_unstemmed Long-term consequences of childhood emotional abuse in mothers on parental load and child mental health
title_short Long-term consequences of childhood emotional abuse in mothers on parental load and child mental health
title_sort long term consequences of childhood emotional abuse in mothers on parental load and child mental health
topic Emotional abuse
Transgenerational transmission
Parenting stress
Parenting load
Child mental health
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691824000465
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