What question did this study set out to answer?

To explore how maternal childhood maltreatment and IPV affect perceptions of infant temperament, focusing on emotion regulation as a mediator.

February 28, 2026Journal of Family ViolenceOpen Access

Maternal Child Maltreatment and Intimate Partner Violence: Effects on Perceptions of Infant Temperament and the Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation and Responsiveness

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Longitudinal study reveals how maternal maltreatment and IPV impact infant temperament perceptions, highlighting emotion regulation's critical role.

To explore how maternal childhood maltreatment and IPV affect perceptions of infant temperament, focusing on emotion regulation as a mediator.
Longitudinal study involving 355 vulnerable mothers
Mothers reported on childhood maltreatment and IPV during pregnancy
Emotion regulation assessed during pregnancy
Mother-infant interactions coded at one month postpartum
Maternal perceptions of infant temperament evaluated at six months postpartum.
Maternal emotion dysregulation significantly mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and difficult infant temperament perceptions.
Emotional abuse influenced perceptions through emotion dysregulation.
Emotional neglect was directly linked to perceptions of difficult temperament.
Physical and sexual abuse were not associated with infant temperament perceptions.
Pregnancy IPV was related to perceptions of difficult temperament via maternal emotion regulation.

Fairchild et al. (2026) studied this question.

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Longitudinal study reveals how maternal maltreatment and IPV impact infant temperament perceptions, highlighting emotion regulation's critical role.