Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rochester. Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology, 2018.
To better understand the factors influencing the transmission of negative
parenting across generations, this dissertation examined the parenting quality of mothers
with varying histories of childhood maltreatment through observational measures of
harsh and responsive parenting behaviors. Maternal depression, child behavior problems,
and maternal efficacy beliefs were assessed as potential mediators linking childhood
maltreatment and later harsh and responsive parenting. Participants were drawn from a
community sample of non-treatment seeking mother-child dyads from socioeconomically
disadvantaged, ethnically diverse backgrounds. The sample included depressed mothers
(n = 68), who had experienced a major depressive episode since their child’s birth, and a
non-depressed (n = 59) comparison group. Assessments included the Childhood Trauma
Questionnaire (CTQ), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Child Behavior Checklist
for Ages 1½-5 (CBCL), Maternal Efficacy Questionnaire (MEQ), and behavior codes
from a mother-child home observation utilizing the System for Coding Interactions in
Parent-Child Dyads (SCIPD). A longitudinal design was used, with mother-child dyads
being followed from baseline, when the children were approximately 12-months-old, and
follow-up visits occurring when children were 26- and 37-months of age. Findings did
not support a significant direct effect of childhood maltreatment experiences on mothers’
subsequent harsh or responsive parenting behavior with their own offspring. However,
analyses demonstrated a significant indirect effect of childhood maltreatment history on
later responsive parenting behaviors via maternal depression. Results also supported a
significant indirect effect of childhood maltreatment history on later harsh parenting behavior through child behavior problems. Although mothers' history of childhood maltreatment significantly predicted lower levels of maternal efficacy, results did not support a mediating role of maternal efficacy beliefs in the association between maltreatment history and subsequent parenting behaviors. Identifying specific factors that potentially disrupt the intergenerational pattern of maladaptive parenting, as this dissertation does, should serve to guide prevention and intervention efforts aimed at facilitating more positive,
responsive parenting strategies within high-risk families.
