The inter-generational transmission of parental adverse childhood experiences on children’s depression and anxiety symptoms: The mediating effect of parenting factors
AI Summary
Parental ACEs predict greater parenting stress and rejection, which mediate adolescents' anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Parental warmth associates with lower, and rejection with higher, adolescent internalising symptoms; rejection is the primary mediating pathway.
Mediating pathways were stronger for fathers and male adolescents; interventions should target parenting factors and consider gender differences.
Child Abuse Negl. 2026 May 12;177:108096. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2026.108096. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Previous evidence supports the intergenerational links between parental adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and offspring emotional problems. However, the mediating mechanism remains unclear.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether parenting stress and parenting styles (warmth, rejection, overprotection) mediate the associations between parental ACEs and adolescents’ anxiety and depression, controlling for parental mental health.
PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: 2249 parent-adolescent dyads from high schools in China’s Greater Bay Area (Parent Mean age = 41.16 years; adolescents Mean age = 14.18 years).
METHODS: At baseline, parents reported ACEs, parenting stress, and mental health; adolescents reported parenting styles. One year later, adolescents reported anxiety and depression symptoms. Structural equation modelling tested mediation.
RESULTS: Parental ACEs predicted greater parental rejection and parenting stress. Rejection predicted higher, and warmth predicted lower, adolescent anxiety and depression. Overall, parenting factors significantly mediated the ACE-outcomes link, with a notable pathway via rejection. These mediating pathways were stronger for fathers and male adolescents.
CONCLUSION: Parenting factors, especially parental rejection, mediate the intergenerational transmission of ACEs to adolescent internalizing symptoms. Parenting interventions should target these factors while considering gender differences.
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