Parent's Interpersonal Traumatic Stress, Parenting Practices and Their Offspring Risk for Trauma Symptoms

Introduction:

Interpersonal violence is a robust predictor of traumatic stress symptoms. Research suggests that parental experience of traumatic stress, particularly intimate partner violence (IPV) between parents, may increase the risk for child behavioral adjustment. Some evidence suggests that parenting practices may be implicated, but much of this research has been limited to cross sectional methodology and selected samples. This study examined the prospective associations among parental reports of intimate partner violence (IPV) involvement (perpetration and/or victimization), parent post traumatic stress symptoms, offspring trauma symptoms an average of six years later, and the moderating influence of both positive and negative parenting styles.

Method: This study is based on a representative sample (the Children in the Community Study) followed over 25 years, including their own offspring in the final two of 7 assessments. The sample includes male (n = 92) and female (n= 151) original study members who completed measures of IPV (Wave 5, 1999) and had children. Parents completed measures of parenting at Wave 6 (2001-2004), and child’s trauma symptoms at Wave 7 (2006-08).

Results:Parent IPV experience predicted child trauma symptoms, controlling for demographic risks. For fathers, this association held after controlling for stressful life events and psychopathology. However, mothers’ post-traumatic stress and depressive symptoms and their stressful life events (occurring following the IPV) accounted for the influence of IPV on child trauma symptoms. IPV predicted lower positive and higher negative parenting practices. Positive parenting moderated the association of IPV with child trauma symptoms, but not at the most extreme levels of IPV.

Conclusion: Parental traumatic stress associated with IPV between parents may increase the distal risk for child trauma symptoms. IPV predicts more negative and less supportive parenting practices. Positive parenting may be protective, though perhaps not at extreme levels of IPV.