Maternal Childhood Trauma and Children's Developmental Course of Aggressive Behavior from Ages 4 to 12.

OBJECTIVE

A growing literature documents the intergenerational effects of maternal childhood trauma (MCT) on offspring developmental outcomes. However, cross-sectional designs of prior studies limit understanding of long-term effects of MCT on the next generation. We examined the long-term association of MCT with the developmental trajectory of their children's aggressive behavior from preschool years to preadolescence, while considering maternal psychological distress as a potential mediator in a high-risk sample.

METHOD: Mother-child dyads (N = 256; 55% girls), urban, primarily African American, were enrolled in a prospective study about the sequelae of prenatal cocaine exposure. Aggressive behavior was assessed with the caregiver-reported Child Behavior Checklist at ages 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, and 12. At offspring age of 4 years, MCT was caregiver-reported using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and psychological distress via the Brief Symptom Inventory.

RESULTS

Latent growth curve modeling indicated that MCT was indirectly associated with overall child aggressive behavior from 4-12 years of age via maternal psychological distress. Children's postnatal violence exposure was associated with a slower rate of decline in aggressive behavior over time. Boys had slower declines in aggression at a trend level, compared to girls.

CONCLUSIONS

MCT has a long-term adverse association with children's aggressive behavior via maternal psychological distress, which points to the need for therapeutic interventions that involve the provision of trauma-informed maternal support and the promotion of healthy behaviors of children. Postnatal violence exposure was also identified as a critical target of prevention to mitigate maladaptive development of aggression in children.