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