Parents’ Marital Status and Child Physical Abuse Potential: The Mediation of Depression Symptoms

Diogo Lamela,Bárbara Figueiredo

doi:10.1007/s10826-016-0622-3

Abstract

Informed by a social interactional framework of stress and parenting, the aim of this study was to examine the mediating effect of depression symptoms on the association between parents’ marital status (married and divorced parents) and child physical abuse potential, in a Portuguese community sample. It was hypothesized that the possible observed differences between divorced and married parents in the child physical abuse potential would be explained by their depression symptoms. Parents (N = 892) were assessed in their marital status, severity of depression symptoms and child physical abuse potential. Results showed that, when compared with married parents, divorced parents had higher child physical abuse potential. However, parents’ depression symptomatology was found as a mediator of the effect of marital status differences on child physical abuse potential. The influence of the status of divorced parents on the increase of child physical abuse potential was explained by the increase of the parents’ depression symptoms. This finding suggested that parents’ divorced status had no longer an effect on child physical abuse potential when parents’ depression symptomatology was tested as a mediator variable. The present mediation model explained 47 % of the variability in the child physical abuse potential score. Practical implications of these findings for prevention and psychological intervention are also discussed.

Highlights

Divorce is one of the most stressful experiences during adulthood (Lillberg et al 2003; Middeldorp et al 2008)
No differences between married parents and divorced parents groups were found in age, t(890) = 1.31, ns, education, χ2(1) = .05, ns, family income per month, χ2(1) = .72, ns, professional status, χ2(1) = .49, ns, and nationality χ2(1) = .34, ns
When compared with married parents, divorced parents had more children, t(890) = −2.49, p < .01, and reported higher scores in the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) depression scale, t(890) = −5.76, p < .001, Cohen’s d = −0.8 and higher scores in the Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAPI) abuse scale, t(890) = −4.95, p > .001, Cohen’s d = −0.7

Summary

Introduction

Divorce is one of the most stressful experiences during adulthood (Lillberg et al 2003; Middeldorp et al 2008). A large body of literature has consistently demonstrated that this demanding developmental process may have a detrimental impact on the subjective well-being and mental health of divorced adults (Afifi et al 2006; Breslau et al 2011; Mancini et al 2011). Bulloch et al (2009) found that individuals with no depression during marriage reported an increased risk (hazard ratio of 1:3) of experiencing symptoms of major depression as a consequence of divorce. In another study, divorced mothers reported 1.8 increased odds for depression compared with married mothers (Afifi et al 2006)

Objectives

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Results

Conclusion