Background

The negative effects of childhood maltreatment can be intergenerational, and the prenatal period may play an important role in this intergenerational transmission. Maternal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction and maternal psychopathology represent two mechanisms through which the effects of childhood maltreatment are hypothesized to be transmitted across generations.

Objective

This study first sought to extend prior research on pathways of intergenerational transmission by examining whether mothers' childhood experiences of abuse versus neglect differentially relate to maternal HPA activity and to maternal psychopathology during the prenatal period. Second, exploratory analyses examined the links between maternal variables and their State Protective Service involvement as a parent, as an indicator of maladaptive caregiving.

Methods

During the third trimester of pregnancy, 51 women reported on experiences of childhood maltreatment, on State Protective Service involvement as an adult parent, and on current depressive and post-traumatic stress symptoms, and provided a hair sample for cortisol assay.

Results

Regression analyses indicated that greater severity of abuse, but not neglect, in childhood was associated with higher maternal depressive symptoms (β = 0.488, p = .020). In contrast, greater severity of neglect, but not abuse, in mothers' childhood was associated with lower maternal hair cortisol concentration (β = −0.437, p = .031). Lower maternal hair cortisol concentration, but not maternal psychopathology or severity of childhood abuse or neglect, in turn, was associated with State Protective Service involvement (β = −0.785, p < .001).

Conclusions

Findings extend prior work by suggesting that childhood abuse and neglect may have different sequelae for mothers during pregnancy and that these sequelae may have different relations to parenting.

中文翻译：

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母亲童年时期的威胁与剥夺：与妊娠期头发皮质醇和精神病理学的不同关系

 背景

童年虐待的负面影响可能是代际间的，而产前时期可能在这种代际传播中发挥着重要作用。母亲下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）轴功能障碍和母亲精神病理学代表了两种机制，儿童虐待的影响被认为可以通过这两种机制代代相传。

 客观的

本研究首先试图通过检查母亲童年时期的虐待和忽视经历是否与产前母亲的 HPA 活动和母亲的精神病理学有不同的关系，来扩展对代际传播途径的先前研究。其次，探索性分析考察了母亲变量与其作为父母参与国家保护服务之间的联系，作为适应不良照料的指标。

 方法

在怀孕的最后三个月，51 名妇女报告了童年虐待的经历、作为成年父母参与国家保护服务以及目前的抑郁和创伤后应激症状，并提供了用于皮质醇测定的头发样本。

 结果

回归分析表明，童年时期遭受虐待的严重程度与母亲抑郁症状的严重程度无关（β = 0.488， p = .020）。相比之下，母亲童年时期更严重的忽视（而非虐待）与母亲头发皮质醇浓度较低相关（β = -0.437， p = .031）。反过来，母亲头发皮质醇浓度较低与国家保护服务的参与相关，但与母亲精神病理学或童年虐待或忽视的严重程度无关（β = -0.785， p < .001）。

 结论

研究结果扩展了之前的工作，表明童年时期的虐待和忽视可能会给怀孕期间的母亲带来不同的后遗症，并且这些后遗症可能与养育子女有不同的关系。