The Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma: The Effect of a Mother’s Childhood Exposure to Armed Conflict

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Abstract

The Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma: The Effect of a Mother’s Childhood Exposure to Armed Conflict

A mother’s nurturing care is a critical input to early development, particularly for children at elevated risk of early adversity. Little is known, however, about how a mother’s own childhood adversity affects her ability to provide such nurturing care. In this research, I use geo-located data on armed conflicts in three countries in Sub-Saharan Africa combined with geo-located household level data on parenting practices and early childhood development to estimate the intergenerational effects of a mother’s childhood exposure to armed conflict on her parenting practices and the early developmental outcomes of her children. Difference-in-differences estimates use identifying variation in geographic differences in exposure to conflict across sub- national regions and temporal variation across maternal birth cohorts. Mothers exposed to conflict in their early childhood are more likely to use abusive disciplinary practices. They are also less likely to stimulate their children through educational activities, material investments, or sending their children to early childhood education centers. Mothers exposed to conflict in their early childhood also experienced increased intimate partner violence, early marriage and early sex, which may be mechanisms by which a mother’s childhood exposure to conflict affects her future maternal capacities and investments, and the early developmental outcomes of her children.

Author

• Maya M Escueta, Teachers College, Columbia University