title: Maternal PTSD and Children's Adjustment: Parenting Stress and Emotional Availability as Proposed Mediators.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Maternal posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a risk factor for negative child adjustment, but it is unclear whether this association is direct (e.g., a mother's PTSD symptoms are observed, learned, and internalized by children which results in behavioral and emotional problems) or indirect, through parent-child relationship difficulties or parenting stress. We hypothesized that parenting stress and maternal emotional availability would exhibit indirect effects on relationships between maternal PTSD and children's functioning.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 52 trauma-exposed mothers and their children (aged 7-12 years). Mothers completed measures of PTSD and parenting stress and reported on their children's functioning. Emotional availability was assessed through observer-rated mother-child interactions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Emotional availability was not related to PTSD or child outcomes. Parenting stress had a substantial indirect effect on the relationships between maternal PTSD and child emotion regulation, internalizing, and externalizing behaviors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results highlight the need to target parenting stress in interventions with trauma-exposed families.
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
authors.forename: Kristin W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Samuelson
authors.affiliation: Atlanta VA Medical Center, Emory University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Christina K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Padrón
authors.affiliation: Westcoast Children's Clinic.
authors.forename: Suellen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gavron
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D002657:Child Development; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: emotion regulation; internalizing; maternal sensitivity; observation; posttraumatic stress disorder