The Moderating Effect of Parenting on the Relationship Between Childhood Trauma Exposure and the Development of Internalizing vs. Externalizing Behaviors
Open Access
Author:
Laporta, Jordan Rose
Area of Honors:
Human Development and Family Studies
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Chad Edward Shenk, Thesis Supervisor Lisa Michelle Kopp, Thesis Honors Advisor
The present study assessed the extent to which parenting style has a moderating impact on the relationship between cumulative childhood trauma exposure and the development of subsequent internalizing or externalizing behaviors in the child maltreat population. Participants included n = 64 children (Age range = 8-15 years) and an accompanying non-offending caregiver, who each completed a variety of self-report and parent-report measures of child behavior, parenting characteristics, and trauma exposure. Hypotheses for outcomes following trauma exposure included: children raised by permissive parents will be more likely to develop externalizing behaviors; children raised by authoritarian parents will be more likely to develop internalizing behaviors; children raised by authoritative parents will be less likely to develop both internalizing and externalizing behavior. These hypotheses were tested through the analysis of cumulative trauma exposure, parenting characteristics (including maternal warmth, behavioral control, and psychological control), and resulting child internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Results indicated that there exist strong correlations between measures of (a) maternal warmth and externalizing behaviors, (b) parental behavioral control and psychological control, (c) internalizing/externalizing behaviors and cumulative trauma exposure, (d) maternal warmth and cumulative trauma exposure, and (e) minority status and internalizing behaviors. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of research and future methods of prevention and intervention.
