Connecting Partner Violence to Poor Functioning for Mothers and Children: Modeling Intergenerational Outcomes

Violence against women, a global epidemic, frequently begins in childhood. Many abused women are mothers and many children witness the abuse of their mothers. To better understand the intergenerational impact and associated health outcomes, we tested 300 mother-child pairs using structural equation modeling. Mother’s history of abuse during childhood directly impacted the level of adult abuse, which predicted her child’s witness to the abuse. Maternal pain predicted maternal symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Mother’s mental health predicted the degree of child dysfunction, such as aggression and depression. These findings offer evidence for the urgent need to provide mental health interventions to improve maternal functioning of abused mothers as a conduit intervention to prevent child dysfunction and promote mother-child health.