The Structural Model of Children’s Behavioral Problems Based on Mothers’ Adverse Childhood Experiences with the Mediating Role of Mothers’ Parenting Styles

The present study was conducted with the aim of designing and fitting a structural model to explain children’s behavioral problems based on mothers’ adverse childhood experiences, taking into account the mediating role of mothers’ parenting styles. Considering the intergenerational approach in explaining children’s behavioral disorders, this study examined the direct and indirect effects of mothers’ adverse childhood experiences on their children’s behavioral problems. The statistical population consisted of all mothers living in Isfahan with children aged 6 to 12 years. Sampling was carried out through convenience sampling, and after eliminating outliers, the final sample included 323 participants. To collect data, three validated and Persian-adapted instruments were used: the International Questionnaire of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE-IQ), the Baumrind Parenting Styles Questionnaire, and the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with SPSS-24 and AMOS-24 software. The results showed that mothers’ adverse childhood experiences positively and significantly predicted children’s behavioral problems. These experiences had a significant relationship with mothers’ authoritarian parenting style, while their relationships with authoritative and permissive parenting styles were not significant. The authoritarian style also had a positive and significant effect on the occurrence of children’s behavioral problems. Analysis of indirect pathways indicated that the authoritarian style played a significant mediating role in the relationship between mothers’ adverse experiences and children’s internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems. In contrast, authoritative and permissive parenting styles did not show significant effects either in direct or indirect pathways. The findings emphasize the role of the authoritarian parenting style as a psychological mechanism for the intergenerational transmission of harm and highlight the necessity of designing preventive and targeted interventions aimed at repairing parents’ traumatic experiences and promoting supportive parenting practices.