Developmental Psychology Commons^™

Trauma, Adversity, And Parent-Child Relationships Among Young Children Experiencing Homelessness, Janette E. Herbers, J. J. Cutuli, Amy R. Monn, Angela J. Narayan, Ann S. Masten

J. J. Cutuli

This study examined experiences of adversity and potentially traumatic life events among 138 young children (56% female) residing with their families in emergency housing. Experiences of these children were examined from a developmental perspective, testing the impact of cumulative adversity on trauma symptoms, other emotional/behavior problems, and executive functioning in relation to the quality of observed parent-child interactions. Cumulative adversity was related to children’s trauma symptoms and total problem scores. Quality of observed parent-child interactions related to fewer child symptoms, congruent with a promotive role. Quality of parent-child interactions also moderated the associations between adversity and both specific trauma symptoms …