Resolution of Childhood Maltreatment Trauma: Development of a Novel Narrative Coding Scheme and Intergenerational Implications

• In Event: Innovations in Child Maltreatment Research: Leveraging Institutional Partnerships to Investigate Intergenerational Transmission Pathways

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Child maltreatment constitutes a significant environmental risk for children, with carryover effects into future generations. Therefore, research must characterize protective factors that may buffer against the intergenerational transmission of maltreatment. We argue resolution of one’s own childhood maltreatment trauma may facilitate adaptive parenting in future generations. However, existing self-report measures of maltreatment trauma resolution may not adequately assess this construct due to poor insight or demand characteristics. To advance assessment methodology in this area, the proposed narrative coding measure of maltreatment trauma resolution integrates developmental psychopathology and psychodynamic frameworks by drawing on prior empirical literature on earned security (e.g., Pearson, 1994) and forgiveness (e.g., Noll, 2003).

The current study accomplishes two primary aims: 1) development of a novel measure assessing resolution of maternal childhood maltreatment trauma using narrative coding methods and 2) evaluation of maltreatment trauma resolution as a buffering factor that may moderate associations between maternal neglect histories and sensitive parenting of her own infant. The second aim is significant given that research on child neglect has lagged behind other subtypes of child maltreatment (Mulder et al., 2018).

SAMPLE: Participants included 210 mothers and their 13-month-old infants. This sample is diverse, with 53.8% of mothers identifying as Black or African American. Participants came from low-income backgrounds, with a mean total income of $10,330.

METHODS: Maternal maltreatment trauma resolution was assessed using a novel narrative coding scheme for the Parent Development Interview developed by the first author (see Table 1 for more details). Validity of the novel resolution code was established in comparison to the field-standard self-report measure of maltreatment trauma resolution: the Balancing-Forgiving subscale of the Perceptions of Adult Attachment Scale (PAAS). Maternal maltreatment perpetration was coded from CPS records using the Maltreatment Classification System. Maternal childhood neglect histories were indexed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Sensitive parenting was assessed observationally during home visits using the Maternal Behavior Q-Set.

RESULTS: Results of reliability and validity analyses suggest the novel resolution code is promising. In particular, the resolution code evidenced higher reliability (ICC = .937) and stronger concurrent and predictive validity relative to the balancing-forgiving subscale scores. Resolution scores also discriminated between maltreating (M = 5.75, SD = 2.43) and non-maltreating mothers (M = 6.78, SD = 2.18), t(176) = 2.576, p = .011), suggesting criterion validity.

Regarding moderation analyses, results from cross-sectional analyses show resolution moderates associations between maternal physical neglect histories and sensitive parenting among maltreating mothers, such that under high maternal trauma resolution, there is no longer a negative association between neglect histories and sensitive parenting (B = .037, p = .010; See Figure 1a). However, this cross-sectional protective effect was not found in non-maltreating mothers (B = -.074, p = .265). Results from longitudinal analyses of both maltreating and non-maltreating mothers combined showed a protective-enhancing effect of maternal trauma resolution on maternal sensitivity at infant age 26 months (B = .051, p = .005; See Figure 1b). Implications for research and clinical practice with families are discussed.

Authors

• Hannah Grace Swerbenski, University of Rochester
  Presenting Author

• Melissa L Sturge-Apple, University of Rochester

• Grace Messina, University of Maryland - College Park

• Sheree L Toth, University of Rochester

• Fred A Rogosch, University of Rochester

• Dante Cicchetti, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Erinn B Duprey, University of Rochester