Maternal Trauma Exposure and Childhood Anxiety Outcomes: Examining Psychosocial Mechanisms of Risk

Abstract

The current study aimed to explore the relationship between maternal exposure to various types of trauma and child anxiety outcomes, and to investigate maternal depression and parenting quality as potential mediators of these relationships. Aims were examined within a sample of 185 mother-child dyads who participated in a longitudinal study assessing maternal trauma history, maternal depression, and parenting quality at preschool age (ages 2.5 to 5.5 years), and for whom maternal and secondary caregiver reports of child anxiety were obtained at school age (ages 6 to 11 years). Hypotheses were that (1) maternal exposure to trauma would be positively associated with anxiety levels in offspring and that (2) parenting quality and maternal depression would mediate the relationship between maternal exposure to trauma and child anxiety. Results suggest a direct association between maternal trauma history and child anxiety, as well as indirect associations through parenting quality and maternal depression. These findings are discussed with regard to their implications for the prevention of child anxiety, as well as their implications for the advancement of the literature on intergenerational effects of trauma.

Keywords: Anxiety; Child anxiety; Maternal depression; Maternal trauma; Parenting; Trauma.

Figure 1:

Overall estimated SEM model investigating prospective relationships among maternal trauma exposure and a latent measure of offspring anxiety (as measured by mothers and alternate caregivers). The overall model demonstrated good fit (χ2(N = 185) = 6.88, df = 11, p = .81, CFI = 1.0, RMSEA = .00). Maternal lifetime exposure to trauma was found to significantly and positively predict offspring anxiety. Neither maternal childhood sexual abuse, nor maternal childhood physical abuse, were related to offspring anxiety. Note: Bolded lines represent significant direct and indirect effects. Latent variables are depicted using circles, whereas measured variables are depicted using rectangular boxes

Figure 2:

Overall estimated SEM model investigating the prospective role of parenting quality as a mediator in the association between maternal trauma exposure and offspring anxiety. The model including maternal positive engagement as a mediator (a) demonstrated excellent fit (χ2(N = 185)=10.71, df = 14, p = .71, CFI =1.00, RMSEA = .00), as did the model including maternal negative engagement (b) (χ2(N = 185) = 10.76, df= 14, p = .71,CFI = 1.00, RMSEA = .00). Maternal history of childhood physical abuse (but not childhood sexual abuse or lifetime trauma) predicted lower rates of positive engagement and higher rates of negative engagement, both of which predicted higher rates of offspring anxiety. Note: Bolded lines represent significant direct and indirect effects. Latent variables are depicted using circles, whereas measured variables are depicted using rectangular boxes

Figure 3:

Overall estimated SEM model investigating the prospective role of maternal depression in the association between maternal trauma exposure and offspring anxiety. The model demonstrated good fit (χ2(N = 185) =22.05, df = 14, p = .08, CFI = .96, RMSEA = .06). Significant indirect effects were found for each type of maternal trauma, and maternal lifetime trauma no longer directly predicted child anxiety once the indirect effect of maternal depression was accounted for. Note: Bolded lines represent significant direct and indirect effects. Latent variables are depicted using circles, whereas measured variables are depicted using rectangular boxes