Skip to main content

Childhood Maltreatment and Motherhood: Implications for Maternal Well-Being and Mothering

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Motherhood in the Face of Trauma

Abstract

This chapter explores how maternal history of maltreatment during childhood (childhood maltreatment; CM) affects a mother’s well-being, her adjustment to motherhood, and her mothering, both in regards to her beliefs or attitudes, and her parenting behaviors. Throughout the chapter, we review the currently available literature on CM and motherhood and pay particular attention to the methodology of these diverse studies including those with null results, which may, in part, explain the great variability of results across the literature. We aim to provide a comprehensive review to allow the reader to understand which findings are subjective (through the eyes of the mother) vs. objective (through the eyes of an outside observer). We explore the role of resilience in the aftermath of CM and end the chapter with a discussion of implications for screening and targeted interventions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Anda RF, Felitti VJ, Bremner JD, Walker JD, Whitfield C, Perry BD et al (2006) The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood: a convergence of evidence from neurobiology and epidemiology. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 256(3):174–186. doi:10.1007/s00406-005-0624-4

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bailey HN, DeOliveira CA, Wolfe VV, Evans EM, Hartwick C (2012) The impact of childhood maltreatment history on parenting: a comparison of maltreatment types and assessment methods. Child Abuse Negl 36(3):236–246. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2011.11.005

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Banyard VL (1997) The impact of childhood sexual abuse and family functioning on four dimensions of women’s later parenting. Child Abuse Negl 21(11):1095–1107. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(97)00068-9

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Banyard VL, Williams LM, Siegel JA (2003) The impact of complex trauma and depression on parenting: an exploration of mediating risk and protective factors. Child Maltreat 8(4):334–349. doi:10.1177/1077559503257106

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bartlett JD, Easterbrooks MA (2015) The moderating effect of relationships on intergenerational risk for infant neglect by young mothers. Child Abuse Negl 45:21–34. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.02.018

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belsky J, Pluess M (2009) Beyond diathesis stress: differential susceptibility to environmental influences. Psychol Bull 135(6):885–908. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017376

  • Berntsen D, Rubin DC (2007) When a trauma becomes a key to identity: enhanced integration of trauma memories predicts posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Appl Cogn Psychol 21(4):417–431. doi:10.1002/acp.1290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bert SC, Guner BM, Lanzi RG (2009) The influence of maternal history of abuse on parenting knowledge and behavior. Fam Relat 58(2):176–187. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3729.2008.00545.x

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Berthelot N, Ensink K, Bernazzani O, Normandin L, Luyten P, Fonagy P (2015) Intergenerational transmission of attachment in abused and neglected mothers: the role of trauma-specific reflective functioning. Infant Mental Health Journal 36(2):200–212

    Google Scholar 

  • Brand SR, Brennan PA, Newport DJ, Smith AK, Weiss T, Stowe ZN (2010) The impact of maternal childhood abuse on maternal and infant HPA axis function in the postpartum period. Psychoneuroendocrinology 35(5):686–693. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.10.009

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Breckenridge J (2006) Speaking of mothers . . . How does the literature portray mothers who have a history of child sexual abuse? J Child Sex Abus 15:57–74. https://doi.org/10.1300/J070v15n02_05

  • Caldwell JG, Shaver PR, Li C-S, Minzenberg MJ (2011) Childhood maltreatment, adult attachment, and depression as predictors of parental self-efficacy in at-risk mothers. J Aggress Maltreat Trauma 20(6):595–616. doi:10.1080/10926771.2011.595763

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen LR, Hien DA, Batchelder S (2008) The impact of cumulative maternal trauma and diagnosis on parenting behavior. Child Maltreat 13(1):27–38. doi:10.1177/1077559507310045

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Deave T, Heron J, Evans J, Emond A (2008) The impact of maternal depression in pregnancy on early child development. BJOG 115(8):1043–1051. doi:10.1111/j.1471-0528.2008.01752.x

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • DiLillo D, Damashek A (2003) Parenting characteristics of women reporting a history of childhood sexual abuse. Child Maltreat 8(4):319–333. doi:10.1177/1077559503257104

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dixon L, Browne K, Hamilton-Giachritsis C (2005) Risk factors of parents abused as children: a mediational analysis of the intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment (part I). J Child Psychol Psychiatry 46(1):47–57. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00339.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dixon L, Browne K, Hamilton-Giachritsis C (2009) Patterns of risk and protective factors in the intergenerational cycle of maltreatment. J Fam Violence 24(2):111–122. doi:10.1007/s10896-008-9215-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edwards VJ, Holden GW, Felitti VJ, Anda RF (2003) Relationship between multiple forms of childhood maltreatment and adult mental health in community respondents: results from the adverse childhood experiences study. Am J Psychiatry 160(8):1453–1460. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.160.8.1453

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Egeland B, Jacobvitz D, Sroufe LA (1988) Breaking the cycle of abuse. Child Dev 59(4):1080–1088. doi:10.2307/1130274

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ensink K, Normandin L, Plamondon A, Berthelot N, Fonagy P (2016) Intergenerational pathways from reflective functioning to infant attachment through parenting. Can J Behav Sci/Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement 48(1):9–18. doi:10.1037/cbs0000030

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fava NM, Simon VA, Smith E, Khan M, Kovacevic M, Rosenblum KL et al (2016) Perceptions of general and parenting-specific posttraumatic change among postpartum mothers with histories of childhood maltreatment. Child Abuse Negl 56:20–29. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2016.04.007

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Feiring C, Taska LS (2005) The persistence of shame following sexual abuse: a longitudinal look at risk and recovery. Child Maltreat 10(4):337–349. doi:10.1177/1077559505276686

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Field T, Diego M, Hernandez-Reif M (2006) Prenatal depression effects on the fetus and newborn: a review. Infant Behav Dev 29(3):445–455. doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2006.03.003

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fonagy P, Steele M, Moran G, Steele H, Higgitt A (1993) Measuring the ghost in the nursery: an empirical study of the relation between parents’ mental representations of childhood experiences and their infants’ security of attachment. J Am Psychoanal Assoc 41(4):957–989. doi:10.1177/000306519304100403

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • George C,Kaplan N, Main M (1996) Adult attachment interview, 3rd edn. Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, unpublished

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert LK, Breiding MJ, Merrick MT, Thompson WW, Ford DC, Dhingra SS, Parks SE (2015) Childhood adversity and adult chronic disease: an update from ten states and the District of Columbia, 2010. Am J Prev Med 48(3):345–349. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2014.09.006

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Huth-Bocks AC, Muzik M, Beeghly M, Earls L, Stacks AM (2014) Secure base scripts are associated with maternal parenting behavior across contexts and reflective functioning among trauma-exposed mothers. Attach Hum Dev 16(6):535–556. doi:10.1080/14616734.2014.967787

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Intergenerational continuity of child physical abuse: how good is the evidence? (n.d.) Retrieved June 15, 2016, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673600026568

  • Jaffee SR, Bowes L, Ouellet-Morin I, Fisher HL, Moffitt TE, Merrick MT, Arseneault L (2013) Safe, stable, nurturing relationships break the intergenerational cycle of abuse: a prospective nationally representative cohort of children in the United Kingdom. J Adolesc Health 53(Suppl 4):S4–S10. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.04.007

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Katsonga-Phiri T, Martinez-Torteya C, Rosenblum K, Hamilton, Muzik M (Under Review) Explaining individual difference in parenting sense of competence among women with childhood maltreatment histories. Parenting Sci Pract

    Google Scholar 

  • Koenen KC, Widom CS (2009) A prospective study of sex differences in the lifetime risk of posttraumatic stress disorder among abused and neglected children grown up. J Trauma Stress 22(6):566–574

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lang AJ, Gartstein MA, Rodgers CS, Lebeck MM (2010) The impact of maternal childhood abuse on parenting and infant temperament. J Child Adolesc Psychiatr Nurs 23(2):100–110. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6171.2010.00229.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lovejoy MC, Graczyk PA, O’Hare E, Neuman G (2000) Maternal depression and parenting behavior: a meta-analytic review. Clin Psychol Rev 20(5):561–592. doi:10.1016/S0272-7358(98)00100-7

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lyons-Ruth K, Yellin C, Melnick S, Atwood G (2003) Childhood experiences of trauma and loss have different relations to maternal unresolved and hostile-helpless states of mind on the AAI. Attach Hum Dev 5(4):330–352. doi:10.1080/14616730310001633410

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Madigan S, Vaillancourt K, Plamondon A, McKibbon A, Benoit D (2016) The developmental course of unresolved/disorganized states of mind in a sample of adolescents transitioning into parenthood. Can J Behav Sci/Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement 48(1):19–31. doi:10.1037/cbs0000037

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martinez-Torteya C, Dayton CJ, Beeghly M, Seng JS, McGinnis E, Broderick A et al (2014) Maternal parenting predicts infant biobehavioral regulation among women with a history of childhood maltreatment. Dev Psychopathol 26(2):379–392. doi:10.1017/S0954579414000017

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Moran G, Pederson DR, Krupka A (2005) Maternal unresolved attachment status impedes the effectiveness of interventions with adolescent mothers. Infant Mental Health J 26(3):231–249. doi:10.1002/imhj.20045

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moser DA, Paoloni-Giacobino A, Stenz L, Adouan W, Manini A, Suardi F et al (2015) BDNF methylation and maternal brain activity in a violence-related sample. PLoS One 10(12):e0143427

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Muzik M, Borovska S (2010) Perinatal depression: implications for child mental health. Ment Health Family Med 7(4):239

    Google Scholar 

  • Muzik M, Bocknek EL, Broderick A, Richardson P, Rosenblum KL, Thelen K, Seng JS (2013) Mother–infant bonding impairment across the first 6 months postpartum: the primacy of psychopathology in women with childhood abuse and neglect histories. Arch Women’s Ment Health 16(1):29–38. doi:10.1007/s00737-012-0312-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muzik M, Rosenblum KL, Alfafara EA, Schuster MM, Miller NM, Waddell RM, Kohler ES (2015) Mom power: preliminary outcomes of a group intervention to improve mental health and parenting among high-risk mothers. Arch Womens Ment Health 18(3):507–521. doi:10.1007/s00737-014-0490-z

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Muzik M, McGinnis EW, Bocknek E, Morelen D, Rosenblum KL, Liberzon I et al (2016a) Ptsd symptoms across pregnancy and early postpartum among women with lifetime ptsd diagnosis. Depress Anxiety 33(7):584–591. doi:10.1002/da.22465

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Muzik M, Brier Z, Menke RM, Davis MT, Sexton MB (2016b) Longitudinal suicidal ideation across 18-months postpartum in mothers with childhood maltreatment histories. Journal of Affective Disorders 204:138–145

    Google Scholar 

  • Muzik M, Morelen D, Hruschak J, Rosenblum KL, Bocknek E, Beeghly M (2017) Psychopathology and parenting: an examination of perceived and observed parenting in mothers with depression and PTSD. J Affect Disord 207:242–250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.08.035

  • Nanni V, Uher R, Danese A (2012) Childhood maltreatment predicts unfavorable course of illness and treatment outcome in depression: a meta-analysis. Am J Psychiatr 169(2):141–151. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2011.11020335

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Narang DS, Contreras JM (2005) The relationships of dissociation and affective family environment with the intergenerational cycle of child abuse. Child Abuse Negl 29(6):683–699. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2004.11.003

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (2014) Child maltreatment: facts at a glance

    Google Scholar 

  • Oh W, Muzik M, McGinnis EW, Hamilton L, Menke RA, Rosenblum KL (2016) Comorbid trajectories of postpartum depression and PTSD among mothers with childhood trauma history: course, predictors, processes and child adjustment. J Affect Disord 200:133–141. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2016.04.037

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Onoye JM, Shafer LA, Goebert DA, Morland LA, Matsu CR, Hamagami F (2013) Changes in PTSD symptomatology and mental health during pregnancy and postpartum. Arch Womens Ment Health 16(6):453–463. doi:10.1007/s00737-013-0365-8

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Pears KC, Capaldi DM (2001) Intergenerational transmission of abuse: a two-generational prospective study of an at-risk sample. Child Abuse Negl 25(11):1439–1461. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(01)00286-1

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pereira J, Vickers K, Atkinson L, Gonzalez A, Wekerle C, Levitan R (2012) Parenting stress mediates between maternal maltreatment history and maternal sensitivity in a community sample. Child Abuse Negl 36(5):433–437. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2012.01.006

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts R, O’Connor T, Dunn J, Golding J (2004) The effects of child sexual abuse in later family life; mental health, parenting and adjustment of offspring. Child Abuse Negl 28(5):525–545. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2003.07.006

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenblum KL, Mcdonough SC, Sameroff AJ, Muzik M (2008) Reflection in thought and action: maternal parenting reflectivity predicts mind-minded comments and interactive behavior. Infant Mental Health J 29(4):362–376. doi:10.1002/imhj.20184

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruscio AM (2001) Predicting the child-rearing practices of mothers sexually abused in childhood. Child Abuse Negl 25(3):369–387. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(00)00252-0

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schechter DS, Coots T, Zeanah CH, Davies M, Coates SW, Trabka KA et al (2005) Maternal mental representations of the child in an inner-city clinical sample: violence-related posttraumatic stress and reflective functioning. Attach Hum Dev 7(3):313–331. doi:10.1080/14616730500246011

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schechter DS, Coates SW, Kaminer T, Coots T, Zeanah CHJ, Davies M et al (2008) Distorted maternal mental representations and atypical behavior in a clinical sample of violence-exposed mothers and their toddlers. J Trauma Dissociation 9(2):123–147. doi:10.1080/15299730802045666

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Schechter DS, Moser DA, Wang Z, Marsh R, Hao X, Duan Y et al (2012) An fMRI study of the brain responses of traumatized mothers to viewing their toddlers during separation and play. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 7(8):969–979. doi:10.1093/scan/nsr069

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schechter DS, Moser DA, McCaw JE, Myers MM (2014) Autonomic functioning in mothers with interpersonal violence-related posttraumatic stress disorder in response to separation–reunion. Dev Psychobiol 56(4):748–760. doi:10.1002/dev.21144

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schofield TJ, Lee RD, Merrick MT (2013) Safe, stable, nurturing relationships as a moderator of intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment: a meta-analysis. J Adolesc Health 53(Suppl 4):S32–S38. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.05.004

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Schuetze P, Eiden RD (2005) The relationship between sexual abuse during childhood and parenting outcomes: modeling direct and indirect pathways. Child Abuse Negl 29(6):645–659. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2004.11.004

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Simon VA, Feiring C, Cleland CM (2016) Early stigmatization, PTSD, and perceived negative reactions of others predict subsequent strategies for processing child sexual abuse. Psychol Violence 6(1):112–123. doi:10.1037/a0038264

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith AL, Cross D, Winkler J, Jovanovic T, Bradley B (2014) Emotional dysregulation and negative affect mediate the relationship between maternal history of child maltreatment and maternal child abuse potential. J Fam Violence 29(5):483–494. doi:10.1007/s10896-014-9606-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stacks AM, Muzik M, Wong K, Beeghly M, Huth-Bocks A, Irwin JL, Rosenblum KL (2014) Maternal reflective functioning among mothers with childhood maltreatment histories: links to sensitive parenting and infant attachment security. Attach Hum Dev 16(5):515–533. doi:10.1080/14616734.2014.935452

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Wright MO, Fopma-Loy J, Oberle K (2012) In their own words: the experience of mothering as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. Dev Psychopathol 24(2):537–552. doi:10.1017/S0954579412000144

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Diana Morelen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Morelen, D., Rosenblum, K.L., Muzik, M. (2018). Childhood Maltreatment and Motherhood: Implications for Maternal Well-Being and Mothering. In: Muzik, M., Rosenblum, K. (eds) Motherhood in the Face of Trauma. Integrating Psychiatry and Primary Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65724-0_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65724-0_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-65722-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-65724-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics