The role of interpersonal emotion regulation tendencies in the association between maternal childhood maltreatment and social support in parenting.

BACKGROUND

Alleviating psychological stress in parenting is crucial for breaking the intergenerational cycle of childhood maltreatment (CM). However, issues with social support-recognized as effective in addressing parenting challenges, including psychological stress-have been noted among parents with CM experiences. Specifically, these issues include a lack of resources and diminished effectiveness of social support. Previous findings suggest that decreased interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) contributes to both issues; however, no empirical study has examined this mechanism.

OBJECTIVE

This study explored the role of IER in the association between CM, social support, and psychological stress.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Data from 1889 Japanese mothers were used for analysis.

METHOD

An online cross-sectional survey was conducted.

RESULTS

Structural equation modeling validated the model, indicating that CM is associated with increased psychological stress through decreased IER and reduced social support resources (χ = 8.67, p < .05, CFI = 0.99, GFI = 1.00, AGFI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.042). Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant IER × social support utilization interaction effect on psychological stress (β = -0.06, p < .01). Social support utilization significantly associated with reduced psychological stress for both high and low IER mothers; however, the association was stronger for those with high IER (β = -0.23, p < .01) than those with low IER (β = -0.12, p < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

Decreased IER tendencies are linked to social support challenges among parents with CM experiences. However, high IER tendencies may exacerbate psychological symptoms in parenting contexts, necessitating careful consideration in interventions.