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Maternal Factors as Moderators or Mediators of PTSD Symptoms in Very Young Children: A Two-Year Prospective Study

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Abstract

Research has suggested that parenting behaviors and other parental factors impact the long-term outcome of children’s posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. In a sample of 62 children between the ages of one and six who experienced life-threatening traumas, PTSD was measured prospectively 2 years apart. Seven maternal factors were measured in a multi-method, multi-informant design. Both moderation and mediation models, with different theoretical and mechanism implications, were tested. Moderation models were not significant. Mediation models were significant when the mediator variable was maternal symptoms of PTSD or depression (measured at Time 1), self-report of maternal escape/avoidance coping (measured at Time 2), or self-report emotional sensitivity (measured at Time 2). Greater maternal emotional sensitivity was associated with greater Time 2 PTSD symptoms among children. Observational measures of emotional sensitivity as the mediator were not supported. Correlation of parents’ and children’s symptoms is a robust finding, however caution is warranted in attributing children’s PTSD symptoms to insensitive parenting.

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Author Note

M.S. Scheeringa, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University School of Medicine; L. Myers, Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine; F.W. Putnam, Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina; C.H. Zeanah, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University School of Medicine.

This research was supported by NIMH grant MH01706 to Dr. Michael S. Scheeringa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tulane University School of Medicine, 1440 Canal St., TB52, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA

    Michael S. Scheeringa & Charles H. Zeanah

  2. Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Leann Myers

  3. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Frank W. Putnam

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  1. Michael S. Scheeringa
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  2. Leann Myers
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  4. Charles H. Zeanah
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Correspondence to Michael S. Scheeringa.

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Scheeringa, M.S., Myers, L., Putnam, F.W. et al. Maternal Factors as Moderators or Mediators of PTSD Symptoms in Very Young Children: A Two-Year Prospective Study. J Fam Viol 30, 633–642 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-015-9695-9

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