Psychology Commons^™

Intergenerational Risk Of Maternal Childhood Maltreatment On Infant Health Concerns In Low-Income Mexican American Mother-Child Dyads, Amanda Flagg

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Childhood maltreatment confers greater risk for psychopathology, health problems, and early mortality in adulthood. Emerging literature suggests that maternal childhood maltreatment exposure may have intergenerational consequences for infant health by interfering with mothers’ abilities to engage in sensitive and responsive caregiving. Although no studies to date have investigated contributions of maternal sensitivity to infant health, parallel bodies of research have shown that sensitive responding is an important predictor of infant physiological regulation, which is also related to immune functioning. The current study examined the associations between maternal childhood maltreatment, infant health concerns, and maternal sensitivity in a low income, Mexican …