Prenatal Maltreatment Risk, Early Parenting Behaviors, and Children's Emergent Regulation

This project examined relationships among early maltreatment risks, maternal parenting behaviors, and children's self-regulation in a sample of 304 primiparious mothers and their children. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the relationships among prenatal maternal maltreatment risk; 4, 8 and 18 month parenting; and children's regulation at 24 months. A more detailed investigation of specific parenting behaviors and how they change over time, including risk antecedents and children's regulatory consequences was provided by Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) and a series of regression analyses. Results provided support for the role of maltreatment risk in determining both early and later parenting. Moreover, children's regulatory difficulties, assessed by physiological, emotional, and behavioral scales of regulation, were influenced by parenting at 18 months; changes in specific parenting behaviors, especially the quality of the home environment; and prenatal maltreatment risk. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for understanding the effects of prenatal maltreatment risk on parenting and children's self-regulation and how prevention efforts can best target these domains in high risk families.