Intergenerational transmission of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms: Exploring the serial mediating role of parenting styles and early adolescent emotion regulation difficulties.

Résumé

BACKGROUND: Parental posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms increase the risk of PTSD in their offspring, a phenomenon known as 'intergenerational transmission of PTSD symptoms'; however, the specific pathways by which this transmission may occur remain to be fully elucidated. Prior research suggests that both parenting styles and early adolescent emotion regulation difficulties are potential mechanisms underlying this transmission. This study aimed to examine their serial mediating role in the transmission.METHODS: Longitudinal data were collected from trauma-identified parent-child dyads at baseline (T1, n = 2397 dyads), 1-year follow-up (T2, n = 1734 dyads), and 2-year follow-up (T3, n = 1064 dyads). Parents self-reported their PTSD symptoms and trauma exposure at T1, while early adolescents reported their own PTSD symptoms at all time points, their perceptions of parenting styles at T1, and their emotion regulation difficulties at T2. The serial mediation model was conducted to investigate the serial mediating effect of parenting styles and early adolescent emotion regulation difficulties.RESULTS: Parental PTSD symptoms had a significant influence on their children's PTSD symptoms. The intergenerational transmission was sequentially mediated by negative parenting styles (parental rejection and overprotection) and early adolescent emotion regulation difficulties, although these indirect effects were only marginally significant. However, the serial mediating pathway via emotional warmth and emotion regulation difficulties was not significant.CONCLUSIONS: Negative parenting styles may impair early adolescent emotion regulation abilities, thereby potentially contributing to the intergenerational transmission of PTSD symptoms.