Petitclerc Amélie, Biedzio Rizik Dorota, Burns James L, Estabrook Ryne, Wakschlag Lauren S, Briggs-Gowan Margaret
Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine and Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, United States.
Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine and Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, United States.
Child Abuse Negl. 2025 Jun 21;167:107516. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107516.
Mothers with depressive symptoms or antisocial behavior are more likely to engage in harsh parenting.
To examine whether economic assistance and social support moderate this risk.
Families of preschoolers (n = 497, mean [SD] age, 4.8 [0.9] years) from the Multidimensional Assessment of Preschoolers Study (MAPS), recruited from urban pediatric clinics and oversampled for family violence and child disruptive behavior.
Mothers self-reported on their depressive and antisocial history, and two potential protective factors (economic assistance and social support). We measured maternal harsh parenting outcomes via a multi-method approach including (1) self-reported physically harsh parenting, (2) self-reported psychological aggression toward the child, (3) direct observation of dysregulated parenting, (4) interviewer-rated probability of physical abuse and (5) interviewer-rated probability of psychological abuse. Using regression analyses, we tested interactions between the potential moderators and maternal psychopathology in predicting harsh parenting.
Maternal psychopathology was associated with increased risk for harsh parenting. However, economic assistance and social support moderated some of that risk, with different patterns depending on predictor (depressive or antisocial history), moderator, and harsh parenting outcome measure. Among low-income families, economic assistance moderated the association between maternal depressive symptoms and self-reported physically harsh parenting. Higher social support moderated the associations of maternal depressive symptoms and antisocial behavior with observed dysregulated parenting. Higher social support also moderated the association between maternal antisocial behavior and interviewer-rated probable physical abuse.
Social and economic supports should be considered in assessing risks and designing child abuse prevention strategies for mothers with psychopathology.
有抑郁症状或反社会行为的母亲更有可能采用严厉的育儿方式。
研究经济援助和社会支持是否能降低这种风险。
来自学龄前儿童多维评估研究（MAPS）的学龄前儿童家庭（n = 497，平均[标准差]年龄为4.8[0.9]岁），这些家庭从城市儿科诊所招募，且在家庭暴力和儿童破坏性行为方面进行了过度抽样。
母亲们自我报告她们的抑郁和反社会史，以及两个潜在的保护因素（经济援助和社会支持）。我们通过多种方法测量母亲严厉育儿的结果，包括：（1）自我报告的身体上的严厉育儿行为；（2）自我报告的对孩子的心理攻击；（3）对失调育儿行为的直接观察；（4）访谈者评定的身体虐待可能性；（5）访谈者评定的心理虐待可能性。通过回归分析，我们测试了潜在调节因素与母亲精神病理学之间在预测严厉育儿方面的相互作用。
母亲精神病理学与严厉育儿风险增加有关。然而，经济援助和社会支持降低了部分风险，根据预测因素（抑郁或反社会史）、调节因素和严厉育儿结果测量指标的不同，呈现出不同的模式。在低收入家庭中，经济援助缓和了母亲抑郁症状与自我报告的身体上的严厉育儿行为之间的关联。较高的社会支持缓和了母亲抑郁症状和反社会行为与观察到的失调育儿行为之间的关联。较高的社会支持还缓和了母亲反社会行为与访谈者评定的可能身体虐待之间的关联。
在评估风险和为有精神病理学问题的母亲设计预防虐待儿童策略时，应考虑社会和经济支持。
