Parents’ posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) have been shown to be negatively associated with aspects of parenting, yet the mechanisms that link PTSS to parenting remain unclear. Because PTSS include negative alterations in cognitions, trauma-exposed parents may have skewed perceptions of themselves as parents. However, no studies have examined whether there is an indirect effect of PTSS on parenting through parents’ self-perceptions. Path analysis was used to determine (a) whether DSM-5 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters are related to parenting indices (i.e., support, satisfaction, involvement) and self-perceptions, (b) if parental self-perceptions are tied to aspects of parenting, and (c) if there is an indirect effect of PTSS on parenting through parental self-perceptions. Participants were 223 trauma-exposed parents (M_age= 36.92 years, SD = 7.9, 63.7% female) recruited from a midwestern U.S. university or via Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Negative alterations in cognitions and mood were inversely related to parental support, B = −0.41, p = .008, and alterations in arousal and reactivity were inversely associated with parental self-perceptions, B = −1.26, p = .001. Parental self-perceptions were positively related to all parenting indices, Bs = 0.27–0.44. Indirect effects were observed for alterations in arousal and reactivity and parental support, satisfaction, and involvement via parents’ self-perceptions, Bs = −0.34 to -0.55. Parental self-perceptions appear to be a potential factor in understanding parenting difficulties for trauma-exposed parents experiencing alterations in arousal and reactivity. Targeting these perceptions may be a point of intervention aimed at improving parenting outcomes among trauma-exposed parents.

中文翻译：

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父母自我认知在创伤后压力症状与养育方面的关系中的作用

父母的创伤后压力症状 (PTSS) 已被证明与养育子女的各个方面呈负相关，但将 PTSS 与养育子女联系起来的机制仍不清楚。由于 PTSS 包括认知的负面改变，因此遭受创伤的父母可能会扭曲自己作为父母的看法。然而，没有研究通过父母的自我认知来检验 PTSS 是否对养育有间接影响。路径分析用于确定 (a) DSM-5是否创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD) 症状群与养育指数（即支持、满意度、参与度）和自我认知有关，(b) 父母的自我认知是否与养育的各个方面相关，以及 (c) 是否存在PTSS 通过父母的自我认知对养育子女产生间接影响。参与者是从美国中西部大学或通过亚马逊的 Mechanical Turk 招募的 223 名受过创伤的父​​母（M_年龄= 36.92 岁，SD = 7.9，63.7% 女性）。认知和情绪的负面变化与父母的支持成反比，B = -0.41，p = .008，唤醒和反应性的改变与父母的自我认知呈负相关，B = -1.26，p = .001。父母自我认知与所有养育指数呈正相关，B s = 0.27-0.44。通过父母的自我认知，观察到唤醒和反应以及父母支持、满意度和参与的间接影响，B s = -0.34 至 -0.55。父母的自我认知似乎是了解经历过唤醒和反应性改变的创伤暴露父母的育儿困难的潜在因素。针对这些看法可能是旨在改善遭受创伤的父母的养育结果的干预点。