Child maltreatment, adult romantic attachment and parental sense of competence

Background: While the link between childhood maltreatment and parental sense of competence has been established, there is limited understanding of the mediating mechanisms that explain this connection. Drawing from an attachment-based theoretical framework, childhood adversity undermines adult romantic attachment security, subsequently heightening vulnerability to later parenting in adulthood. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the role of romantic attachment as a potential mechanism in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and the facets of parental sense of competence. Participants and setting: Our study involved 1904 mothers of children aged 3 to 8 years old. These mothers were requested to fill out an online questionnaire which included sections on sociodemographic information, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire - Short Form, the Parenting Sense of Competence scale, and the Relationship Scale Questionnaire. Results: Our results demonstrate a mediating effect of mothers' attachment anxiety on the link between childhood maltreatment and parental sense of competence. More specifically, attachment anxiety was associated with diminished parental sense of efficacy, and in particular, diminished parental sense of satisfaction. Conclusions: The findings highlight that romantic attachment anxiety serves as a mechanism explaining the relationship between childhood maltreatment and parental sense of efficacy and satisfaction.