Relations Among Mothers’ Childhood Neglect, Maternal Cortisol Hypoactivity, and Child Maltreatment in the Next Generation

摘要: There is substantial evidence that childhood maltreatment can be intergenerational, yet mechanisms responsible for this transmission are just beginning to be understood. Related evidence suggests that childhood maltreatment may lead to long-term dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and that maternal HPA activity is associated with caregiving quality and child abuse potential. This study sought to extend prior research by testing the relations among mothers’ severity of abuse and neglect in their own childhoods, maternal HPA axis functioning assessed by mothers’ hair cortisol concentration (HCC), and mothers’ involvement with child protective services for any offspring. Fifty-one women completed a measure of childhood maltreatment and provided a hair sample for cortisol extraction during pregnancy. During pregnancy and at four months postpartum, participants provided data on …