title: Depression and parenting by nonoffending mothers of children who experienced sexual abuse.
abstract: Parenting may be one mechanism by which depression in nonoffending mothers impacts child emotional and behavioral adjustment after sexual abuse. This study examined the relationship between self-reported maternal depression and parenting behaviors by nonoffending mothers of children who experienced sexual abuse. The participants were 204 nonoffending biological mother-child pairs recruited from a clinic providing services for children who experienced sexual abuse. The mothers completed pretreatment self-report measures of demographic information, depression, and parenting behaviors. Children (7 to 17 years) completed a measure of mothers' parenting behaviors. Mothers with clinically high levels of self-reported depression employed more inconsistent parenting behavior and provided poorer monitoring/supervision of their children than mothers without clinically high levels of self-reported depression. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: a Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine , Stratford , New Jersey , USA.
authors.forename: Eileen J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Santa-Sosa
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Steer
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Deblinger
authors.forename: Melissa K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Runyon
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*