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Maternal Exposure to Family-of-Origin Conflict and Child Behavioral Problems: The Role of Two Generations of Maternal Care

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Abstract

Purpose

This study examines how intergenerational family dynamics, including conflict in a mother’s family-of-origin and maternal warmth and affection across two generations, may be related to child behavior problems in late childhood.

Methods

This longitudinal cohort study included 642 mother-child dyads (child mean age 11 years). Mothers reported on conflict tactics in their family-of-origin, on warmth and affection received from their own mother, and on their child’s behavior problems. Children reported on the maternal warmth and affection received from their mothers.

Results

We found a direct relationship between the levels of conflict present in the mother’s family-of-origin and children’s behavior problems. A serial mediation model revealed that family-of-origin conflict was associated with lower perceived maternal warmth and affection received by mothers from grandmothers, which was associated with lower perceived maternal warmth and affection received by children, which in turn was related to higher levels of both internalizing and externalizing behavior problems.

Conclusions

Maternal experiences of family dynamics as children not only influence later parenting practices, but also have a legacy of impact on their children’s behavioral health. Assessing features of parental developmental environments may help to identify families who could benefit from prevention and intervention programs aimed to reduce behavior problems in youth.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Institutes of Health (R01-ES-018858, K02-ES-019878, and K01-ES015877), and Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01-HD087485)

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Author notes

  1. Andrea L. Glenn and Yiqing Guan are the Co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Youth Development and Intervention, Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

    Andrea L. Glenn & Olivia K. Thompson

  2. Department of Psychology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Sino Bldg, Rm 356, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong, China

    Yiqing Guan & Patrick W. L. Leung

  3. School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Shandong University, Shandong Province, China

    Naixue Cui

  4. School of Nursing and School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 418 Curie Blvd., Room 426, Claire M. Fagin Hall, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6096, USA

    Jianghong Liu

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  1. Andrea L. Glenn
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Correspondence to Patrick W. L. Leung or Jianghong Liu.

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Glenn, A.L., Guan, Y., Leung, P.W.L. et al. Maternal Exposure to Family-of-Origin Conflict and Child Behavioral Problems: The Role of Two Generations of Maternal Care. J Fam Viol (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-023-00653-0

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