Date of Award
1-1-2016
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Organizational Unit
College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences
First Advisor
Anne P. DePrince, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Jennifer Erikson-Cornish
Third Advisor
Stephen Shirk
Fourth Advisor
Wyndol Furman
Fifth Advisor
Julia Dmitrieva
Keywords
Child abuse, Development of psychopathology, Intergenerational transmission of trauma, Parent-child relationship, Trauma-related cognitions
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to elucidate cognitive and behavioral mechanisms involved in the intergenerational transmission of trauma from abuse-survivor mothers to their toddler/preschool-aged children. This study investigated whether maternal trauma-related cognitions, i.e. child abuse-related appraisals (betrayal, self-blame, fear, anger, shame, alienation), disorganized memory and intrusive memory for abuse were associated with toddler internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and whether mother-child dysfunctional interactions mediated these relationships among a sample of 113 mothers who survived child abuse. When controlling for maternal trauma symptoms, maternal child abuse-related appraisals, disorganized memory, and trauma symptoms predicted toddler internalizing symptoms, whereas maternal intrusive memory and trauma symptoms predicted toddler externalizing symptoms. Maternal child abuse-related appraisals and disorganized memory were also associated with more dysfunction in the mother-child relationship. Higher levels of maternal shame were associated with more toddler internalizing and externalizing symptoms. More betrayal but less fear among abuse-survivor mothers was associated with toddler externalizing symptoms. These findings provide preliminary evidence in support of maternal trauma-related cognitions as mechanisms for the intergenerational transmission of trauma.
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Rebecca Lynne Babcock Fenerci
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
File Format
application/pdf
Language
en
File Size
48 p.
Recommended Citation
Babcock Fenerci, Rebecca Lynne, "Predictors of Emerging Psychopathology Among Toddlers and Preschoolers of Mothers with Childhood Abuse Histories" (2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1192.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1192
Copyright date
2016
Discipline
Psychology, Clinical Psychology