Intergenerational Risk of Maternal Childhood Trauma on Infant Health Concerns in Low-income Mexican American Families

• In Event: Poster Session 02
  In Poster Session: PS 02 Topic - Family Context & Processes

Abstract

Childhood trauma confers greater risk for psychopathology, health problems, and early mortality in adulthood (e.g., Brown et al., 2009; Felitti et al., 1998). Furthermore, an emerging literature suggests that maternal childhood trauma may further have consequences for her child’s health as well (Lê-Scherban et al., 2018). Maternal childhood trauma exposure may influence infant health by interfering with mothers’ abilities to engage in sensitive and responsive caregiving. Although no studies to date have investigated contributions of sensitive and responsive caregiving to infant health, parallel bodies of research have shown that sensitive responding is an important predictor of physiological regulation, which is also related to immune functioning, in infancy (Moore & Calkins, 2004; Veru et al., 2014). Previous evidence has highlighted that ethnic minority children are at an increased risk for chronic health outcomes compared to ethnic majority children (Dominiquez et al., 2015). Thus, given the negative consequences of poor health, it is imperative that these potential associations be explored within a marginalized sample. The current study examined whether maternal childhood trauma exposure would be associated with infant health concerns, and whether maternal sensitivity would mediate their associations.

Participants included 322 low-income Mexican American mother-infant dyads (see Table 1). Maternal reports of childhood trauma exposure and infant health concerns were obtained at prenatal and 24-week home visits (CTQ-SF; Bernstein et al., 2003; BHQ; Gress-Smith et al., 2012). Maternal sensitivity was assessed using an observational task when infants were 12- and 18- weeks old (CIB; Feldman, 1998). A composite score reflecting maternal sensitivity was formed by averaging sensitivity across the 12 and 18 week time points. A path model was run to test associations between maternal childhood trauma, maternal sensitivity, and infant health concerns at 6 months (See Figure 1). Consistent with study hypotheses, maternal childhood trauma exposure was significantly associated with more infant health concerns (B = 0.15, SE = .058, p = .012). Moreover, maternal sensitivity was significantly associated with fewer infant health concerns at 6 months (B = -0.14, SE = .067, p = .041). Maternal childhood trauma exposure was not significantly associated with maternal sensitivity.

The present study is among the first to investigate links between maternal childhood trauma exposure, maternal sensitivity, and infant health. Results suggest that maternal childhood trauma exposure may have intergenerational consequences for infant health, but that changes in maternal sensitivity do not appear to account for their associations. Nevertheless, maternal sensitivity may represent an important resiliency characteristic that promotes infant health. Possible psychobiological mechanisms that link maternal childhood trauma to infant health will be discussed. Clarification about underlying risk processes and potentiating resiliency characteristics may help to elucidate ways in which to better support both mothers and infants across the lifespan.

Authors

• Amanda M. Flagg, State University of New York at Albany (SUNY Albany)
  Presenting Author

• Betty Lin, State University of New York at Albany (SUNY Albany)
  Non-Presenting Author

• Keith A Crnic, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Nancy A Gonzales, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Linda J. Luecken, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author