When Do We See Resilience: The Effects of Parent's History of Maltreatment on Parenting Behaviors and Children's Adjustment

Prior research has suggested that children are at a greater risk of maladjustment in cases where a parent has experienced childhood maltreatment. The purpose of this study is to explore the role of parent's childhood maltreatment in its effects on parenting behavior, parent characteristics, and child adjustment. The multiple pathways through which parent's childhood maltreatment can be both directly and indirectly linked to child maladjustment were explored. Further, risk and protective factors, such as early age of becoming a parent or high parent education, which may play a role were examined as both potential moderators and mediators of the relation between parent's childhood maltreatment and children's maladjustment. Overall, several of the hypothesized pathways were supported. In particular, parent depression and parent's socio-demographic factors were found to act as mediators and moderators of the relations between parent's childhood maltreatment and child maladjustment. There was lesser evidence of child maltreatment behaviors and parenting behaviors mediating or moderating the relations between parent's childhood maltreatment and child maladjustment. Recommendations for future research directions as well as directions for intervention and prevention efforts for at-risk families and children will be suggested.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph. D.

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Department dc:contributor.department

Psychology

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2011

Author dc:creator

• Riser, Diana Katherine

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Kim-Spoon, Jungmeen

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Deater-Deckard, Kirby
• Bell, Martha Ann
• Kaestle, Christine E.

• intergenerational transmission
• child maladjustment
• childhood maltreatment
• parenting behaviors

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

etd-06202011-163645

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/38665