The present study examined the links between childrenu27s socio-emotional functioning and adjustment problems, and maternal mentalization, parenting style, and history of trauma. Participants were 75 mothers and their children age 6-12 years (43 males and 32 females). Mothersu27 reports of their childhood trauma, mentalization capacity, symptoms of post-traumatic stress and depression, and emotion-related parenting style were obtained along with their reports of their childrenu27s social and emotional skills and emotional and behaviour problems. Children completed tasks that assessed their mentalization ability. Children also completed reports of their emotional intelligence and trauma symptoms. Maternal history of emotional abuse significantly predicted maternal depression, and maternal history of sexual abuse significantly predicted maternal PTSD symptoms. Maternal depression and PTSD were both significantly related to childrenu27s social skills, and childrenu27s internalizing and externalizing problems. Maternal mentalization was significantly associated with childrenu27s internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, and childrenu27s social skills. After controlling for the effects of a history of maternal psychotherapy, maternal mentalization partially mediated the relationship between maternal PTSD symptoms and childrenu27s internalizing problems, and maternal mentalization fully mediated the relationship between maternal PTSD symptoms and childrenu27s social skills. Emotion-coaching parenting style did not mediate the relationship between maternal trauma and childrenu27s adjustment, however, parental uncertainty and ineffectiveness in emotion socialization were significantly associated with both maternal PTSD symptoms and childrenu27s internalizing and externalizing problems. These findings highlight the importance of maternal mentalization as an explanatory mechanism in the intergenerational transmission of trauma, and emphasize the need for early intervention and prevention efforts, which focus on bolstering mentalization abilities for traumatized mothers in a parenting role.
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