Maternal Child Sexual Abuse Is Associated With Lower Maternal Warmth Toward Daughters but Not Sons

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Bekh Bradley-Davino, Emory University; Tanja Jovanovic, Emory University; Dorthie Cross, Georgia Southern University; Ye Ji Kim, Emory University; L. Alexander Vance, Emory University; Gabriella Robinson, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2016-11-16
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge): STM, Behavioural Science and Public Health Titles
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2016 Taylor & Francis.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2016.1234532
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Journal of Child Sexual Abuse
• ISSN: 1053-8712
• Volume: 25
• Issue: 8
• Start Page: 813
• End Page: 826
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (MH018264), the National Institute of Mental Health (MH100122-01; MH071537), and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
• Keywords: gender; intergenerational risk; maternal depression; parenting; Child sexual abuse
• Research Categories: Psychology, Behavioral; Psychology, Clinical

Abstract

Mothers with a history of child sexual abuse report less warmth toward their children, but whether this association differs by child gender is unknown. We examined the association of maternal child sexual abuse and warmth across child gender, accounting for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and child physical abuse. We verbally administered self-report measures to a cross-sectional sample of 154 mothers with a child between 8 and 12 years old. Eighty-five mothers based warmth responses on a son, and 69 on a daughter. We conducted a hierarchical multiple regression, including child gender, maternal child sexual abuse, child physical abuse, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and 4 two-way interaction terms with child gender. Maternal depression predicted decreased warmth, regardless of child gender, and maternal child sexual abuse predicted decreased warmth, but only toward daughters. Given previous research suggesting that maternal warmth predicts child well-being, the current finding may represent an important avenue of intergenerational transmission of risk in girls.