Perspective matters: Differences between child- and caregiverreports of emotion regulation mediating the relationship between cumulative childhood trauma and mental health problems in foster children

Autor(en)

Alexander Haselgruber, Katharina Sölva, Brigitte Lueger-Schuster

Abstrakt

Background: Cumulative childhood trauma predicts mental health problems in children, mediated by emotion regulation (ER). To assess trauma history and mental health in children, different
informants may be addressed, assessing data from different perspectives. Despite differences between child- and caregiver-reports as robust finding in child psychology, it remains unclear to which extent perspective matters when examining these variables and related associations.
Objective: The current study was set to (1) examine whether ER mediates the relationship between cumulative childhood trauma and mental health problems in children, (2) test whether results differ with examined perspective, and (3) investigate if meaningful patterns of childcaregiver-reported discrepancies can be identified.
Methods: Data were collected from 145 children living in foster care by child- and caregiverreports using standardized measures to assess trauma history (CTQ), ER (FEEL-KJ), and mental health problems (CBCL). Mediation and latent profile analysis were calculated.
Results: Mediation analysis identified ER as mediator for internalizing and externalizing mental health problems. Using data from different perspectives, mediation models differed considerably regarding significance, direction, and magnitude of effects. Using latent profile analysis, meaningful patterns of child-caregiver-reported discrepancies were identified and associated with
children’s sociodemographic and psychopathological characteristics.
Conclusions: Adaptive and maladaptive ER distinctively mediate the relationship between cumulative childhood trauma and mental health problems in children. Perspective matters when examining these variables and child- and caregiver-reports are not interchangeable. Practitioners and researchers should be aware of inherent limitations when using data from distinct perspectives. Informant discrepancies can carry meaning and should not be ignored, but examined
and interpreted instead.

Organisation(en)

Institut für Klinische und Gesundheitspsychologie

Journal

Child Abuse and Neglect

Band

107

Anzahl der Seiten

15

ISSN

0145-2134

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104558

Publikationsdatum

09-2020

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ÖFOS 2012

501010 Klinische Psychologie, 501009 Kinder- und Jugendpsychologie

Schlagwörter

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Psychiatry and Mental health, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 3 – Gesundheit und Wohlergehen

Link zum Portal

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/cdbb40b2-6f99-4d77-834d-3c7cc7bc241a