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. 2015 Jun:44:87-97.
doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.01.012. Epub 2015 Feb 11.

Childhood sexual trauma and subsequent parenting beliefs and behaviors

B J Zvara  1 , W R Mills-Koonce  2 , K Appleyard Carmody  3 , M Cox  1 ; Family Life Project Key Investigators
Collaborators, Affiliations

Childhood sexual trauma and subsequent parenting beliefs and behaviors

B J Zvara et al. Child Abuse Negl. 2015 Jun.

Abstract

Using propensity-matched controls, the present study examines the long-term adjustment of women reporting childhood sexual trauma (CST) at or before the age of 14 in terms of parenting efficacy and parenting behavior. Data for these analyses were obtained from mother reports and from observational protocols from a longitudinal study of low-income, rural families. The novel use of propensity-matched controls to create a control group matched on family of origin variables provides evidence that when women with CST are compared with the matched comparison women, females who experienced CST show poorer functioning across multiple domains of parenting (sensitivity, harsh intrusiveness, boundary dissolution), but not in parenting efficacy. Follow-up moderation analyses suggest that the potential effects of trauma on parenting behaviors are not attenuated by protective factors such as higher income, higher education, or stable adult relationships. Implications for interventions with childhood sexual trauma histories and directions for future study are proposed.

Keywords: Boundary dissolution; Childhood sexual trauma; Harsh intrusive parenting; Propensity matched design; Sensitive parenting.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Moderating effect of income on the association of childhood sexual trauma and harsh intrusive parenting.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Moderating effect of maternal education on the association of childhood sexual trauma and harsh intrusive parenting.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Moderating effect of marital stability on the association of childhood sexual trauma and sensitive parenting.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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