The Impact of Maternal Childhood Abuse on Parenting and Infant Temperament

The impact of maternal history of maltreatment and psychopathology on mother-child relationship, parenting, and infant temperament was evaluated. Women completed self-report measures addressing childhood trauma, psychopathology, infant-parent relationship, parenting, and infant temperament. Maternal physical abuse was associated with poorer mother-child interactions, increased vigilance, and difficulty recovering from distress among infants, whereas a history of emotional abuse was linked with less interactional dysfunction, lower levels of infant frustration, and more pleasure. Maternal depression was associated with infant temperament and attitudes about parenting. These findings suggest that maternal history of childhood abuse and psychopathology are important determinants of parenting and infant temperament.