The impact of physical maltreatment history on the adolescent mother-infant relationship: mediating and moderating effects during the transition to early parenthood.
Using attachment theory as a framework, this paper examines how pregnant adolescents' experiences of physical maltreatment during childhood influence the subsequent mother-infant relationship in 203 low-income adolescents followed from the 3rd trimester of pregnancy through the 1st year of parenthood. The relation between physical maltreatment history and early difficulty in the mother-infant relationship was mediated by adolescents' evaluations of the relationship with their primary caretaker and the feelings they associated with motherhood measured prior to childbirth. In addition, a supportive romantic relationship during pregnancy acted as a protective factor by moderating the impact of maltreatment history on the quality of the subsequent mother-infant relationship. Findings support the importance of assessments and interventions that consider the social context and relational history of pregnant and parenting adolescents.
Milan
Stephanie
S
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health and Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS, Yale School of Medicine, 135 College Street, Suite 323, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA. stephanie.milan@yale.edu
Lewis
Jessica
J
Ethier
Kathleen
K
Kershaw
Trace
T
Ickovics
Jeannette R
JR
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009769:Object Attachment; D016487:Parenting; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000523:psychology; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires