Grant: Project Grant

Childhood interpersonal trauma (CIT; sexual abuse, neglect, etc.) is an endemic social problem associated with longstanding and costly negative effects on the mental health of parent survivors and their child's adjustment. Yet, dyadic research is lacking to understand how CIT is related to the well-being of parents and children and to identify the mechanism behind these associations. As key determinant of health, relationship factors between co-parents (e.g., communication and physiological reactivity during conflicts, romantic attachment and co-parenting alliance) may act as key mechanisms explaining the links between CIT and the mental health of parents and the adjustment of their child. Using a multi-method approach involving longitudinal dyadic, observational and physiological data, this study aims to examine the role of relationship factors in the associations between CIT, parental mental health (e.g., parental stress and depressive symptoms) and child adjustment problems (e.g., internalizing and externalizing problems). This project will gather important novel longitudinal data (4-year period) among parental couples during a fundamental developmental period, spanning from the transition to kindergarten through the third grade (ages 5 to 8). Our multi-informant (both parents, child's teacher and child's self-report) and multi-method (questionnaires, observational and physiological measures) design will allow us to identify modifiable mechanisms explaining the relation between CIT and parents' mental health and child's adjustment. This study will allow to simultaneously examine overlapping and distinct predictors of mental health in families, while considering longitudinal dyadic effects among couples. Results will clarify how CIT relates to health outcomes in victims and their families as they navigate through parenthood, to guide the elaboration of efficient interventions and prevention programs aiming to enhance the health of Canadian families.