Does parent-child attachment play a role in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and depression? Evidence from a longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND

Previous research on the impact of childhood maltreatment on child depression has been relatively limited. And few studies have investigated the potential mechanisms of father-child attachment and mother-child attachment. In terms of research design, most studies have focused on cross-sectional designs. The few studies employing longitudinal designs often mix between-individual and within-individual levels of analysis.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to examine the influence of early childhood maltreatment on child depression through a longitudinal research design, with a focus on the mediating roles of father-child attachment and mother-child attachment.

PARTICIPANTS AND

SETTING

The sample consist of 1030 children (65.36 % boys) from a city in northern China, with an average age of 8.86 years.

METHOD: Participants were assessed every six months for childhood maltreatment, parent-child attachment, and depression, with a total of three assessments conducted over one and a half years. CLPM, RI-CLPM and PP-LGCM were applied to examine the effects of childhood maltreatment on child depression and the mediating roles of father-child attachment and mother-child attachment.

RESULTS

The results of the CLPM demonstrated that childhood maltreatment significantly predict child depression. Father-child attachment and mother-child attachment partially mediated the relationship between maltreatment and child depression. Results from the RI-CLPM and PP-LGCM showed that childhood maltreatment significantly predicts child depression, but the mediating effects of both father-child attachment and mother-child attachment were not significant.

CONCLUSION

The severity of childhood maltreatment may be associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of father-child and mother-child attachment. The mediating role of attachment in the link between maltreatment and depression appears to be primarily driven by between-individual differences.