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Maternal elaborative reminiscing mediates the effect of child maltreatment on behavioral and physiological functioning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2015

Kristin Valentino ,
Leah C. Hibel ,
E. Mark Cummings ,
Amy K. Nuttall ,
Michelle Comas  and
Christina G. McDonnell
Kristin Valentino*
Affiliation:
University of Notre Dame
Leah C. Hibel
Affiliation:
University of California, Davis
E. Mark Cummings
Affiliation:
University of Notre Dame
Amy K. Nuttall
Affiliation:
University of Notre Dame
Michelle Comas
Affiliation:
University of Notre Dame
Christina G. McDonnell
Affiliation:
University of Notre Dame
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Kristin Valentino, Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, 128 Haggar Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556; E-mail: kristin.valentino@nd.edu.
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Abstract

Theoretical and empirical evidence suggest that the way in which parents discuss everyday emotional experiences with their young children (i.e., elaborative reminiscing) has significant implications for child cognitive and socioemotional functioning, and that maltreating parents have a particularly difficult time in engaging in this type of dialogue. This dyadic interactional exchange, therefore, has the potential to be an important process variable linking child maltreatment to developmental outcomes at multiple levels of analysis. The current investigation evaluated the role of maternal elaborative reminiscing in associations between maltreatment and child cognitive, emotional, and physiological functioning. Participants included 43 maltreated and 49 nonmaltreated children (aged 3–6) and their mothers. Dyads participated in a joint reminiscing task about four past emotional events, and children participated in assessments of receptive language and emotion knowledge. Child salivary cortisol was also collected from children three times a day (waking, midday, and bedtime) on 2 consecutive days to assess daily levels and diurnal decline. Results indicated that maltreating mothers engaged in significantly less elaborative reminiscing than did nonmaltreating mothers. Maternal elaborative reminiscing mediated associations between child maltreatment and child receptive language and child emotion knowledge. In addition, there was support for an indirect pathway between child maltreatment and child cortisol diurnal decline through maternal elaborative reminiscing. Directions for future research are discussed, and potential clinical implications are addressed.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 27 , Special Issue 4pt2: Multilevel Developmental Perspectives on Child Maltreatment , November 2015 , pp. 1515 - 1526
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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