2-146 - Maternal Behaviors and Parenting After Children’s Trauma Exposure: Identifying Factors Promoting Children’s Adaptive Development

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Childhood exposure to traumatic stressors remains a serious public health issue both globally and nationally, with millions of children experiencing one or more traumatic events before the age of 18. These adversities can have lasting negative effects on development and mental health. Research has sought to identify the mechanism by which exposure to childhood trauma leads to maladaptive outcomes, with a focus on the role of the caregiver and caregiving environment. Until recently, much of this research has centered on the negative impact of caregiver functioning and behavior, with studies primarily focusing on caregivers with poor mental health or those who exhibit negative parenting behaviors. This has been especially true in samples of traumatized children who may have caregivers with their own history of trauma and victimization. However, more recent research has highlighted that: 1) positive parent factors and parenting emerge even when caregivers have a history of trauma, and 2) these positive factors can have protective effects on child adjustment following trauma exposure. Thus, the goal of this symposium is to highlight the use of a more holistic perspective when examining the impact of trauma on caregivers and children that evaluates the role of adaptive behavior and resilient outcomes. The studies in this symposium utilize novel ways of assessing parent characteristics and behavior, with the goal of identifying protective factors and processes that can promote children’s positive adjustment following exposure to trauma.

Sub Unit

• Developmental Psychopathology

Chair

• Kathryn Howell, University of Memphis

Individual Presentations

• Early Parenting Strengths in Caregivers with a History of Victimization - Presenting Author: Laura Miller-Graff, University of Notre Dame; Non-Presenting Author: Kathryn Scrafford, University of Notre Dame

• The Relationship Between Maternal and Child PTSS in IPV-Exposed Families - Presenting Author: Maria M Galano, University of Maryland, College Park; Non-Presenting Author: Andrew Grogan-Kaylor, University of Michigan; Non-Presenting Author: Hannah Clark, University of Michigan; Non-Presenting Author: Sara Stein, University of Michigan; Non-Presenting Author: Sandra Graham-Bermann, University of Michigan

• Does Maternal Support Mediate or Moderate the Relationship Between Abuse Severity and Children’s PTSD Symptoms? - Presenting Author: Rachel Wamser-Nanney, University of Missouri St. Louis; Non-Presenting Author: Julia C Sager, University of Missouri - St. Louis; Non-Presenting Author: Claudia Campbell, University of Missouri - St. Louis