Abstract
This study examines the effect of a history of childhood maltreatment (CM) on parenting sense of competence, taking into account the influence of resilience and postpartum depressive symptoms as moderators of this relationship. Participants (N = 131) were a community sample of women recruited into a larger study of maternal childhood maltreatment. Women completed questionnaires over the phone at 4 months postpartum and parenting sense of competence (PSOC) was assessed during a home visit at 6 months postpartum. A three-way interaction emerged; women with low depression and high resilience factors maintained high levels of PSOC, even when they had a CM history. In contrast, among women with one postpartum risk factor (depression or low resilience) CM was associated with decreased PSOC. Results suggest that a mother's well-being postpartum moderates the effect of a childhood maltreatment history on her parenting sense of competence. Reducing postpartum depressive symptoms and enhancing resilience may be important components for interventions that address parenting confidence with maltreated women.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 777-784 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Archives of Women's Mental Health |
Volume | 21 |
Issue number | 6 |
Early online date | 2 Jun 2018 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2018 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature 2018.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- Psychiatry and Mental health