Abstract
BACKGROUND: Despite the high rates and detrimental consequences of co-occurring intimate partner violence (IPV) and offspring child maltreatment (CM), research regarding their potential spillover mechanisms is scarce. This study aims to examine the relation between IPV and CM and the potential mediating roles of maternal depression, anxiety and stress symptoms as well as children´s externalizing behavior problems. Within this model, the potential moderating effect of mothers' own history of CM in the link between IPV and maternal depression, anxiety and stress symptoms is investigated. METHODS: In this cross-section and longitudinal study, an Eastern European sample of 701 mothers (M(age) = 35.5; range 21 - 52) with children aged 2-9 years completed a battery of self-report questionnaires at three timepoints (baseline, after 7 and 11 months). Mothers reported on IPV victimization (Conflict Tactics Scale), offspring CM (ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool), maternal mental health symptoms (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales), and children's externalizing behavior problems (Child Behavior Checklist). Path models were used to test indirect and moderated indirect effects. RESULTS: Cross-sectionally, maternal mental health and child externalizing behavior partially mediated the effect of IPV on CM. Results could not be replicated when using longitudinal data. Maternal history of CM did not moderate the strength of the association between IPV and maternal mental health problems. CONCLUSIONS: Cross-sectional findings implicate that maternal and child mental health problems, as well as the mother's own history of CM, seem to be key players in the cycle of violence. Findings may encourage practitioners to target more than one outcome when implementing early interventions for preventing mental health problems or reducing family violence. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03865485 registered in ClinicalTrials.gov on March 5, 2019.