The effects of childhood psychological maltreatment on parents : depression and close relationships in stressful contexts

This research uses two datasets to examine the consequences of childhood maltreatment, physical maltreatment on depressive symptoms and interpersonal close relationships in stressful contexts. Study 1 follows 125 women over the transition to parenthood, and a structural equation model demonstrated that those who reported childhood psychological maltreatment also reported higher rates of depressive symptoms after, though not before, the birth of their child. They also reported higher levels of conflict 8 and 24 months after the birth of their child. In Study 2, a structural equation model was used to examine the effects of childhood maltreatment histories in 298 parents during the COVID-19. Those who reported childhood psychological maltreatment reported higher levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance, lower levels of expressive suppression, higher levels of depressive symptoms, and an indirect relation with lower reports of coparenting quality. Despite different assessments of maltreatment, different stressful contexts, and different cohorts, both studies found a link between a history of childhood psychological maltreatment, depressive symptoms, and interpersonal functioning.