Abstract
Exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is not only associated with one's adverse health outcomes in adulthood but also increases the risk of child developmental problems in offspring. However, the mechanisms involved in the transmission of the effects of maternal ACEs to the offspring largely remain unexplored. This study sought to identify possible psychosocial pathways of intergenerational effects of maternal ACEs on child development at 6 months. Data from a longitudinal study on maternal childhood adversity and maternal psychosocial risk during pregnancy as well as maternal mental health problems and child development at 6 months postnatal were used. Structural equation modeling with bootstrapping was used to estimate the indirect effects of maternal ACEs on child development at 6 months. The model showed that maternal ACEs indirectly influenced offspring's development via maternal stressful events during pregnancy and pre- and postnatal mental health problems. This finding highlights the possible interventions at the prenatal and postnatal periods. Early identification of women who have ACEs or who are at psychosocial risk during pre- and postnatal periods is critical to provide interventions to buffer those negative effects on offspring's development. Future studies are needed to longitudinally assess the effects of maternal ACEs on child development over time.
Highlights
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as child maltreatment and family dysfunction, are stressful or traumatic events, which increase the risk of health, social, and behavioral problems throughout a person’s life span (Austin, 2018; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016)
Two mechanisms involved in transmitting the effects of maternal ACEs to the offspring have been proposed: biological and psychosocial mechanisms
Our findings showed that maternal prenatal stress was strongly associated with prenatal depression and anxiety
Summary
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as child maltreatment and family dysfunction, are stressful or traumatic events, which increase the risk of health, social, and behavioral problems throughout a person’s life span (Austin, 2018; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). Many studies have suggested that maternal pre- and postnatal psychosocial risk (e.g., stress during pregnancy, anxiety, and depression) are the potential psychosocial mechanisms underlying the impacts of ACEs on offspring’s development (Racine, Madigan, Plamondon, Hetherington, et al, 2018; Racine, Plamondon, Madigan, McDonald, & Tough, 2018). Pregnant women with childhood adversity have a higher tendency to develop pre- and postnatal stress and mental health problems compared to women without a history of ACEs (Racine, Madigan, Plamondon, McDonald, et al, 2018; Seng et al, 2013). Identification and intervention can help improve health outcomes for children with developmental delay (Spittle & Treyvaud, 2016)
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