Abstract This longitudinal investigation tested a theoretically-specified model of the etiology and developmental consequences of parent-child role confusion, wherein there is a deterioration of generational boundaries such that the parent looks to their child to meet the parent's own needs for comfort or support. Employing a diverse sample of 250 female caregiver-child dyads (50% female and 46% Latinx children), this study tested a fully-latent structural equation model to evaluate serial mediation from parents' reported history of their own maltreatment to children's psychopathology in late childhood via role confusion during the preschool years and children's negative representations of the parent in middle childhood. As hypothesized, the severity of parents' own history of child maltreatment was associated with higher role confusion in their relationship with their preschooler, and this role confusion contributed to children's negative representations of the parent during middle childhood, which, in turn, were associated with higher levels of child psychopathology. This study informs developmental science and clinical practice by elucidating modifiable mechanisms by which a parent's prior experience of child maltreatment may impact their child's adaptation in the next generation. Interventions that support the stability of vertical parent-child boundaries may buffer children from negative intergenerational child maltreatment effects.

中文翻译：

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亲子角色混淆的病因和发展后果的结构方程模型

摘要 这项纵向调查测试了亲子角色混淆的病因和发展后果的理论指定模型，其中代际界限的恶化，使得父母期待他们的孩子满足父母对舒适或支持的需求。本研究采用了 250 名女性照顾者-儿童二人组（50% 女性和 46% 拉丁裔儿童）的多样化样本，测试了一个完全潜在的结构方程模型，以评估从父母报告的他们自己的虐待史到晚期儿童精神病理学的连续中介。童年时期通过学龄前的角色混淆和儿童在童年中期对父母的负面表现。正如假设的那样，父母的严重程度 自己的儿童虐待史与他们与学龄前儿童的关系中更高的角色混淆有关，而这种角色混淆导致儿童在童年中期对父母的负面表现，这反过来又与更高水平的儿童精神病理学有关。这项研究通过阐明父母先前虐待儿童的经历可能影响他们孩子在下一代中的适应的可修改机制，为发育科学和临床实践提供信息。支持垂直亲子边界稳定性的干预措施可以缓冲儿童免受代际虐待儿童的负面影响。父母在童年中期的负面表现，反过来又与更高水平的儿童精神病理学有关。这项研究通过阐明父母先前虐待儿童的经历可能影响他们孩子在下一代中的适应的可修改机制，为发育科学和临床实践提供信息。支持垂直亲子边界稳定性的干预措施可以缓冲儿童免受代际虐待儿童的负面影响。父母在童年中期的负面表现，反过来又与更高水平的儿童精神病理学有关。这项研究通过阐明父母先前虐待儿童的经历可能影响他们孩子在下一代中的适应的可修改机制，为发育科学和临床实践提供信息。支持垂直亲子边界稳定性的干预措施可以缓冲儿童免受代际虐待儿童的负面影响。