Childhood Maltreatment And Caregiver Sensitivity: Exploring The Mediating Role Of Emotion Regulation

Abstract

Childhood maltreatment is believed to have intergenerational effects through its impact on caregiving behaviour, however the mechanisms underlying this relationship are still unclear. The current study aimed to investigate how emotion dysregulation and postpartum depressive symptomology may mediate the relationship between a caregiver’s experiences of maltreatment in childhood and their sensitivity towards their own children in infancy. One hundred and twelve caregivers completed questionnaires related to their subjective experiences of maltreatment in childhood, their difficulties with emotion regulation, and their symptoms of postpartum depression. Caregivers also attended a virtual session during which a sample of dyadic interaction with their infants was obtained and coded for maternal sensitivity using the mini–Maternal Behaviour Q-sort. The Emotional Stroop Task was employed as a measure of implicit emotion regulation, however data from this task were excluded from analyses as an interference effect was not successfully demonstrated. No study variables were found to significantly predict caregiver sensitivity in this study, calling into question the validity of collecting samples of dyadic interaction virtually. Self-reported difficulties with emotion regulation were found to partially mediate the relationship between self-reported experiences of maltreatment in childhood and symptoms of postpartum depression. These findings lend support to the development and implementation of interventions focused on fostering adaptive emotion regulation among caregivers and caregivers-to-be, especially those who have experienced childhood maltreatment. Additional research is needed to further understand these relationships, including studies with different measures employed within more controlled settings, as well as diverse participant samples that are more representative.