Parenting after a history of childhood maltreatment_ A scoping review and map of evidence in the perinatal period.pdf (1.78 MB)
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journal contribution
posted on 2022-07-25, 23:07 authored by C Chamberlain, G Gee, S Harfield, Sandra Campbell, S Brennan, Y Clark, F Mensah, K Arabena, H Herrman, S BrownBackground and aims Child maltreatment is a global health priority affecting up to half of all children worldwide, with profound and ongoing impacts on physical, social and emotional wellbeing. The perinatal period (pregnancy to two years postpartum) is critical for parents with a history of childhood maltreatment. Parents may experience ‘triggering’ of trauma responses during perinatal care or caring for their distressed infant. The long-lasting relational effects may impede the capacity of parents to nurture their children and lead to intergenerational cycles of trauma. Conversely, the perinatal period offers a unique life-course opportunity for parental healing and prevention of child maltreatment. This scoping review aims to map perinatal evidence regarding theories, intergenerational pathways, parents’ views, interventions and measurement tools involving parents with a history of maltreatment in their own childhoods. Methods and results We searched Medline, Psychinfo, Cinahl and Embase to 30/11/2016. We screened 6701 articles and included 55 studies (74 articles) involving more than 20,000 parents. Most studies were conducted in the United States (42/55) and involved mothers only (43/55). Theoretical constructs include: attachment, social learning, relational-developmental systems, family-systems and anger theories; ‘hidden trauma’, resilience, post-traumatic growth; and ‘Child Sexual Assault Healing’ and socioecological models. Observational studies illustrate sociodemographic and mental health protective and risk factors that mediate/moderate intergenerational pathways to parental and child wellbeing. Qualitative studies provide rich descriptions of parental experiences and views about healing strategies and support. We found no specific perinatal interventions for parents with childhood maltreatment histories. However, several parenting interventions included elements which address parental history, and these reported positive effects on parent wellbeing. We found twenty-two assessment tools for identifying parental childhood maltreatment history or impact. Conclusions Perinatal evidence is available to inform development of strategies to support parents with a history of child maltreatment. However, there is a paucity of applied evidence and evidence involving fathers and Indigenous parents.
Funding
Category 1 - Australian Competitive Grants (this includes ARC, NHMRC)
History
Volume
14Issue
3Start Page
1End Page
41Number of Pages
41eISSN
1932-6203ISSN
1932-6203Location
United StatesPublisher
Public Library of SciencePublisher License
CC BYPublisher DOI
Additional Rights
CC BY 4.0Language
engPeer Reviewed
- Yes
Open Access
- Yes
Acceptance Date
2019-02-21Era Eligible
- Yes
Medium
Electronic-eCollectionJournal
PLoS ONEArticle Number
e0213460Usage metrics
Keywords
Child maltreatmentPhysical, social and emotional well-beingChildhood traumaParental healingMental healthIndigenous parentsIndigenous peoplesAdultAdult Survivors of Child AbuseChildChild AbuseChild of Impaired ParentsChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMaleModels, PsychologicalParent-Child RelationsParentingPerinatal CarePregnancy‘Healing the Past by Nurturing the Future’ groupGeneral Science & TechnologyMental HealthSocial and Community Psychology