Maternal depressive symptoms, child maltreatment, and children's externalizing problems: A three-wave longitudinal study from preschool to school age.

Although the bidirectional relationship between maternal depressive symptoms and children's externalizing problems has been widely explored, the underlying mechanisms driving this cycle remain unclear. Specifically, the mediating role of child maltreatment-a known detriment to both maternal mental health and child development-has not been elucidated within this transactional dynamic. This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal relationships among maternal depressive symptoms, children's externalizing problems, and child maltreatment from the preschool to school-age periods. Data were drawn from 2072 mother-child dyads participating in the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study at child ages 3, 5, and 9. Cross-lagged panel models were employed to examine directional relationships among the three variables over time, and bootstrap analysis was used to test potential indirect pathways. The results indicated that maternal depressive symptoms directly predicted subsequent children's externalizing problems; child maltreatment directly predicted subsequent maternal depressive symptoms and children's externalizing problems; and children's externalizing problems directly predicted subsequent child maltreatment. More importantly, children's externalizing problems predicted maternal depressive symptoms through the full mediation of child maltreatment, while maternal depressive symptoms also indirectly predicted child maltreatment through children's externalizing problems. In conclusion, maternal depressive symptoms and child maltreatment are both direct risk factors for children's externalizing problems. However, the effect of children's externalizing problems on maternal depressive symptoms is indirect and mediated by child maltreatment. The findings uncover a vicious cycle between maternal mental health and child behavioral problems and highlight the core role of child maltreatment in this dynamic.