Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States.
Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; Centre for Mental Health Research & Treatment, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
J Affect Disord. 2022 Jul 1;308:205-212. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.04.030. Epub 2022 Apr 13.
Childhood trauma exacts a lasting toll on one's own mental health and the health of one's offspring; however, limited research has examined the pathways through which this intergenerational transmission occurs. This study aimed to identify the transactions and mechanisms that link maternal early life trauma, maternal depressive symptoms, and children's internalizing symptoms.
A pregnancy cohort of N = 1462 mothers (66% Black, 32% White, 2% Other race) reported their childhood trauma exposure and depressive symptoms during pregnancy. Maternal depressive and children's internalizing symptoms were measured repeatedly when offspring were 12, 24, 36, and 48-60 months of age. A path model tested the transactional associations between maternal and child symptomatology and mediation of maternal childhood trauma on offspring symptoms via maternal depressive symptoms.
Mothers' childhood trauma history was related to greater prenatal and postnatal (12 and 24 months) maternal depressive symptoms, which were prospectively associated with offspring internalizing problems at 36 and 48-60 months. Child-directed effects on maternal depressive symptoms were not observed. The association of maternal trauma on children's internalizing at 36 months was mediated by maternal depressive symptoms at 24 months.
Assessments of the key study variables were provided by mothers. Childhood trauma was evaluated retrospectively.
Women's experiences of adversity in childhood have persistent and cumulative effects on their depression during the transition to parenthood, which is associated with risk for children's internalizing. Given the two-generation influence of maternal childhood trauma exposure, attending to its impact may protect both caregivers and their children.
儿童时期所受创伤会对自身心理健康和后代健康造成持久影响，但目前鲜有研究探讨这种代际传递的发生途径。本研究旨在确定与母婴早期生活创伤、母亲抑郁症状和儿童内化症状相关的传递和机制。
一项妊娠队列研究纳入了 1462 名母亲（66%为黑人，32%为白人，2%为其他种族），她们在孕期报告了自己的儿童期创伤暴露和抑郁症状。在子女 12、24、36 和 48-60 个月时，多次测量了母亲的抑郁和儿童的内化症状。路径模型检验了母婴症状之间的交互关联，以及通过母亲的儿童期创伤史和抑郁症状对子女症状的中介作用。
母亲的儿童期创伤史与更大的产前和产后（12 和 24 个月）母亲抑郁症状相关，这些症状与子女 36 和 48-60 个月时的内化问题呈前瞻性相关。未观察到儿童对母亲抑郁症状的直接影响。母亲创伤与儿童 36 个月时内化问题的关联可由母亲 24 个月时的抑郁症状所介导。
关键研究变量的评估由母亲提供。儿童创伤史是通过回顾性评估得出的。
女性在儿童时期经历逆境会对其在过渡到为人父母期间的抑郁产生持续且累积的影响，这与儿童内化问题的风险相关。鉴于母亲儿童创伤暴露对两代人的影响，关注其影响可能有助于保护照顾者及其子女。
