Abstract
In the interest of improving child maltreatment prevention science, this longitudinal, community based study of 499 mothers and their infants tested the hypothesis that mothers’ childhood history of maltreatment would predict maternal substance use problems, which in turn would predict offspring victimization. Mothers (35% White/non-Latina, 34% Black/non-Latina, 23% Latina, 7% other) were recruited and interviewed during pregnancy, and child protective services records were reviewed for the presence of the participants’ target infants between birth and age 26 months. Mediating pathways were examined through structural equation modeling and tested using the products of the coefficients approach. The mediated pathway from maternal history of sexual abuse to substance use problems to offspring victimization was significant (standardized mediated path [ab] = .07, 95% CI [.02, .14]; effect size = .26), as was the mediated pathway from maternal history of physical abuse to substance use problems to offspring victimization (standardized mediated path [ab] = .05, 95% CI [.01, .11]; effect size = .19). There was no significant mediated pathway from maternal history of neglect. Findings are discussed in terms of specific implications for child maltreatment prevention, including the importance of assessment and early intervention for maternal history of maltreatment and substance use problems, targeting women with maltreatment histories for substance use services, and integrating child welfare and parenting programs with substance use treatment.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anda, R. F., Felitti, V. J., Bremner, J. D., Walker, J. D., Whitfield, C., Perry, B. D., et al. (2006). The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood: A convergence of evidence from neurobiology and epidemiology. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 256, 174–186. doi:10.1007/s00406-005-0624-4.
Anderson, C. M., Teicher, M. H., Polcari, A., & Renshaw, P. F. (2002). Abnormal T2 relaxation time in the cerebellar vermis of adults sexually abused in childhood: Potential role of the vermis in stress-enhanced risk for drug abuse. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 27, 231–244. doi:10.1016/S0306-4530(01)00047-6.
Barr, R. G., Rivara, F. P., Barr, M., Cummings, P., Taylor, J., Lengua, L. J., et al. (2009). Effectiveness of educational materials designed to change knowledge and behaviors regarding crying and shaken-baby syndrome in mothers of newborns: A randomized, controlled trial. Pediatrics, 123, 972–980. doi:10.1542/peds.2008-0908.
Berlin, L. J., Appleyard, K., & Dodge, K. A. (in press). Intergenerational continuity in child maltreatment: Mediating mechanisms and implications for prevention. Child Development.
Black, M. M., Papas, M. A., Hussey, J. M., Dubowitz, H., Kotch, J. B., & Starr, R. H., Jr. (2002). Behavior problems among preschool children born to adolescent mothers: Effects of maternal depression and perceptions of partner relationships. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 31, 16–26. doi:10.1207/S15374424JCCP3101_04.
Chaffin, M., Kelleher, K., & Hollenberg, J. (1996). Onset of physical abuse and neglect: Psychiatric, substance abuse, and social risk factors from prospective community data. Child Abuse & Neglect, 20, 191–203. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(95)00144-1.
Chassin, L., Carle, A. C., Nissim-Sabat, D., & Kumpfer, K. L. (2004). Fostering resilience in children of alcoholic parents. In K. I. Maton (Ed.), Investing in children, youth, families, and communities: Strengths-based research and policy (pp. 137–155). Washington: APA Books.
Chu, J. A., Frey, L. M., Ganzel, B. L., & Matthews, J. A. (1999). Memories of childhood abuse: Dissociation, amnesia, and corroboration. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 156, 749–755.
Cross, T. P., & Casanueva, C. (2009). Caseworker judgments and substantiation. Child Maltreatment, 14, 38–52. doi:10.1177/1077559508318400.
Daro, D., & Dodge, K. A. (2009). Creating community responsibility for child protection: Possibilities and challenges. The Future of Children, 19(2), 67–93. doi:10.1353/foc.0.0030.
Dixon, L., Browne, K., & Hamilton-Giachritsis, C. (2005). Risk factors of parents abused as children: A mediational analysis of the intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment (Part I). Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 46, 47–57. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00336.x.
Dube, S. R., Anda, R. F., Felitti, V. J., Croft, J. B., Edwards, V. J., & Giles, W. H. (2001). Growing up with parental alcohol abuse: Exposure to childhood abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. Child Abuse & Neglect, 25, 1627–1640. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(01)00293-9.
Durham Family Initiative. (2009). [Investigated children with repeat investigations and substantiations]. Unpublished raw data, Duke University, Durham, NC.
Fleming, J., Mullen, P., & Bammer, G. A. (1997). A study of potential risk factors for sexual abuse in childhood. Child Abuse & Neglect, 21, 49–58. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(96)00126-3.
Gorey, K. M., & Leslie, D. R. (1997). The prevalence of child sexual abuse: Integrative review adjustment for potential response and measurement biases. Child Abuse & Neglect, 21, 391–398. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(96)00180-9.
Hussey, J. M., Marshall, J. M., English, D. J., Knight, E. D., Lau, A. S., Dubowitz, H., et al. (2005). Defining maltreatment according to substantiation: Distinction without a difference? Child Abuse and Neglect, 29, 479–492. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2003.12.005.
Kessler, R. C., Andrews, G., Mroczek, D., Ustun, T. B., & Wittchen, H.-U. (1998). The World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview short form (CIDI-SF). International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 7, 171–185.
Kohl, P. L., Jonson-Reid, M., & Drake, B. (2009). Time to leave substantiation behind: Findings from a national probability study. Child Maltreatment, 14, 17–26. doi:10.1177/1077559508326030.
Kotch, J. B., Browne, D. C., Dufort, V., Winsor, J., & Catellier, D. (1999). Predicting child maltreatment in the first 4 years of life from characteristics assessed in the neonatal period. Child Abuse & Neglect, 23, 305–319. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(99)00003-4.
Kotch, J. B., Lewis, T., Hussey, J. M., English, D., Thompson, R., Litrownik, A. J., et al. (2008). Importance of early neglect for childhood aggression. Pediatrics, 121, 725–731. doi:10.1542/peds.2006-3622.
Lansford, J. E., Dodge, K. D., Pettit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (2010). Does physical abuse in early childhood predict substance use in adolescence and early adulthood? Child Maltreatment, 15, 190–194. doi:10.1177/1077559509352359.
Leiter, J., Myers, K. A., & Zingraff, M. T. (1994). Substantiated and unsubstantiated cases of child maltreatment: Do their consequences differ? Social Work Research, 18, 67–82.
Lieberman, A. F., & Amaya-Jackson, L. (2005). Reciprocal influences of attachment and trauma: Using a dual lens in the assessment and treatment of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. In L. J. Berlin, Y. Ziv, L. M. Amaya-Jackson, & M. T. Greenberg (Eds.), Enhancing early attachments: Theory, research, intervention, and policy (pp. 100–124). New York: Guilford Press.
Lo, C. C., & Cheng, T. C. (2007). The impact of childhood maltreatment on young adults' substance abuse. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 33, 139–146. doi:10.1080/00952990601091119.
Locke, T. F., & Newcomb, M. D. (2004). Child maltreatment, parent alcohol and drug-related problems, polydrug problems, and parenting practices: A test of gender differences and four theoretical perspectives. Journal of Family Psychology, 18, 120–134. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.18.1.120.
MacKinnon, D. P. (2008). Introduction to statistical mediation analysis. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
MacKinnon, D. P., Lockwood, C. M., Hoffman, J. M., West, S. G., & Sheets, V. (2002). A comparison of methods to test mediation and other intervening variable effects. Psychological Methods, 7, 83–104. doi:10.1037/1082-989X.7.1.83.
MacMillan, H. L., Fleming, J. E., Streiner, D. L., Lin, E., Boyle, M. H., Jamieson, E., et al. (2001). Childhood abuse and lifetime psychopathology in a community sample. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 1878–1883. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.158.11.1878.
Marcenko, M. O., Kemp, S. P., & Larson, N. C. (2000). Childhood experiences of abuse, later substance use and parenting outcomes among low- income mothers. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 70, 316–326. doi:10.1037/h0087853.
Manly, J. T. (2005). Advances in research definitions of child maltreatment. Child Abuse and Neglect, 29, 425–439. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2005.04.001.
Mayes, L. C., & Truman, S. D. (2002). Substance abuse and parenting. In M. H. Bornstein (Ed.), Handbook of parenting: Vol. 4. Social conditions and applied parenting (2nd ed., pp. 329–360). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Miller, G. A., & Chapman, J. P. (2001). Misunderstanding of analysis of covariance. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 110, 40–48. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.110.1.40.
Molnar, B. E., Buka, S. L., & Kessler, R. C. (2001). Child sexual abuse and subsequent psychopathology: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey. American Journal of Public Health, 91, 753–760. doi:10.2105/AJPH.91.5.753.
Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (1998–2006). Mplus user’s guide. Fourth edition. Los Angeles: Authors.
Najavits, L. M., Gallop, R. J., & Weiss, R. D. (2006). Seeking Safety: Therapy for adolescent girls with PTSD and substance use disorder: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 33, 453–463. doi:10.1007/s11414-006-9034-2.
Pereda, N., Guilera, G., Forns, M., & Gomez-Benito, J. (2009). The prevalence of child sexual abuse in community and student samples: A meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 29, 328–338. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2009.02.007.
Prinz, R. J., Sanders, M. R., Shapiro, C. J., Whitaker, D. J., & Lutzker, J. R. (2009). Population-based prevention of child maltreatment: The U.S. Triple P system population trial. Prevention Science, 10, 1–12. doi:10.1007/s11121-009-0123-3.
Repetti, R. L., Taylor, S. E., & Seeman, T. E. (2002). Risky families: Family social environments and the mental and physical health of offspring. Psychological Bulletin, 128, 330–366. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.128.2.330.
Smith, D. K., Johnson, A. B., Pears, K. C., Fisher, P. A., & DeGarmo, D. S. (2007). Child maltreatment and foster care: Unpacking the effects of prenatal and postnatal parental substance use. Child Maltreatment, 12, 150–160. doi:10.1177/1077559507300129.
Straus, M. A., Hamby, S. L., Finkelhor, D., Moore, D. W., & Runyan, D. (1998). Identification of child maltreatment with the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scales: Development and psychometric data for a national sample of American parents. Child Abuse and Neglect, 22, 249–270. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(97)00174-9.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Office of Applied Studies (2003). The NHSDA Report: Children living with substance-abusing or substance-dependent parents. Retrieved from www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k3/children/children.pdf
Suchman, N. E., DeCoste, C., Castiglioni, N., McMahon, T. J., Rounsaville, B., & Mayes, L. (2010). The Mothers and Toddlers Program, an attachment-based parenting intervention fro substance using women: Post-treatment results from a randomized clinical pilot. Attachment & Human Development, 12, 483–504. doi:10.1080/14616734.2010.501983.
Theodore, A. D., Chang, J. J., Runyan, D. K., Hunter, W. M., Bangdiwala, S. I., & Agans, R. (2005). Epidemiologic features of the physical and sexual maltreatment of children in the Carolinas. Pediatrics, 115, e331–e337. doi:10.1542/peds.2004-1033.
US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families. (2010). Child maltreatment 2008. Washington: US Government Printing Office.
Wasserman, D. R., & Leventhal, J. M. (1993). Maltreatment of children born to cocaine-dependent mothers. American Journal of Diseases of Children, 147, 1324–1328.
Widom, C. S., & Hiller-Sturmhofel, S. (2001). Alcohol abuse as a risk factor for and consequence of child abuse. Alcohol Research & Health, 25, 52–57.
Widom, C. S., Ireland, T., & Glynn, P. J. (1995). Alcohol abuse in abused and neglected children followed-up: Are they at increased risk? Journal of Studies on Alcohol & Drugs, 56, 207–217.
Widom, C. S., Marmorstein, N. R., & White, H. R. (2006). Childhood victimization and illicit drug use in middle adulthood. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 20, 394–403. doi:10.1037/0893-164X.20.4.394.
Widom, C. S., & White, H. R. (2008). Three potential mediators of the effects of child abuse and neglect on adulthood substance use among women. Journal of Studies on Alcohol & Drugs, 69, 337–347.
Widom, C. S., White, H. R., Czaja, S. J., & Marmorstein, N. R. (2007). Long-term effects of child abuse and neglect on alcohol use and excessive drinking in middle adulthood. Journal of Studies on Alcohol & Drugs, 68, 317–326.
Williams, S. L., Rosanbalm, K. D., Christopoulos, C., & Dodge, K. A. (2009). Novel methods for estimating community child maltreatment rates. Unpublished manuscript, Duke University, Durham, NC.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by NIMH K01MH70378 awarded to Lisa Berlin, NIDA P20DA017589 and NIDA P30DA023026 awarded to the Duke University Transdisciplinary Prevention Research Center, NIDA K05 DA015226 awarded to Kenneth Dodge, and a grant from The Duke Endowment awarded to Kenneth Dodge. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. We thank Chongming Yang and Antonio Morgan Lopez for assistance with statistical analysis and for feedback on an earlier draft of the paper. We also thank Rebecca Dunning and Claire Osgood for assistance with data management, and Jamilah Taylor for assistance with manuscript preparation.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Author Note
Karen Appleyard, Center for Child and Family Health, Duke University; Lisa J. Berlin, Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University; Katherine D. Rosanbalm, Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University; Kenneth A. Dodge, Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Appleyard, K., Berlin, L.J., Rosanbalm, K.D. et al. Preventing Early Child Maltreatment: Implications from a Longitudinal Study of Maternal Abuse History, Substance Use Problems, and Offspring Victimization. Prev Sci 12, 139–149 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-010-0193-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-010-0193-2