Neuroscience Graduate Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; Offord Centre for Child Studies, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.
Offord Centre for Child Studies, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada.
Child Abuse Negl. 2021 Jan;111:104830. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104830. Epub 2020 Dec 8.
Maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with difficulties in parent-child relationships; however, current research has primarily used cross-sectional designs. Parent and child behavior may be differentially affected by ACEs as children develop and caregiving demands change. Furthermore, diminished executive function (EF) is associated with both ACEs and parenting difficulties and may be a mechanism underlying the intergenerational effects of ACEs.
This study examined longitudinal associations between maternal ACEs, maternal EF, and patterns of change in maternal and child emotional availability (EA).
Mother-child dyads (N = 114) participated in five assessments over a 5-year period.
Maternal ACEs were measured retrospectively at 3 months, maternal EF was assessed at 8 months, and mother-child interactions were videotaped at 18, 36 and 60 months postpartum. Multilevel modelling was used to model growth curves.
Maternal EA did not significantly change, while child EA increased from 18 to 60 months postpartum. Maternal ACEs were negatively associated with maternal and child EA at 18 months postpartum; this effect was not significant at 60 months postpartum. In contrast, there was a persistent, positive effect of maternal EF on EA trajectories. Maternal EF did not mediate the association between ACEs and EA. There were also significant within-dyad associations between maternal and child EA.
The effects of maternal ACEs on parenting are not necessarily persistent. Findings also support sustained relations between maternal EF and mother-child interactions across early childhood, suggesting the utility of EF as an intervention target.
母体不良童年经历（ACEs）与亲子关系困难有关；然而，目前的研究主要采用横断面设计。随着儿童的发展和育儿需求的变化，父母和孩子的行为可能会受到 ACEs 的不同影响。此外，执行功能（EF）下降与 ACEs 和育儿困难都有关，并且可能是 ACEs 代际影响的机制之一。
本研究考察了母体 ACEs、母体 EF 和母婴情感可用性（EA）变化模式之间的纵向关联。
114 对母婴对子参加了为期 5 年的 5 次评估。
母体 ACEs 在 3 个月时进行回顾性测量，母体 EF 在 8 个月时进行评估，母亲-儿童互动在产后 18、36 和 60 个月时进行录像。使用多层建模来模拟增长曲线。
母体 EA 没有显著变化，而儿童 EA 从 18 个月到 60 个月产后增加。母体 ACEs 在产后 18 个月与母体和儿童 EA 呈负相关；在产后 60 个月时，这种影响不显著。相比之下，母体 EF 对 EA 轨迹有持续的积极影响。母体 EF 不能介导 ACEs 和 EA 之间的关联。母体和儿童 EA 之间也存在显著的个体间关联。
母体 ACEs 对育儿的影响不一定是持久的。研究结果还支持了母体 EF 和母婴互动在整个幼儿期之间的持续关系，这表明 EF 作为干预目标的有效性。
