Long-term impact of maternal interpersonal violence-related posttraumatic stress disorder on externalizing symptoms and psycho-physiological stress regulation in school-aged children

Background Offspring from families exposed to interpersonal violence (IPV) are at an elevated risk of engaging in violent relationships during adolescence and adulthood with display of externalizing symptoms. However, psycho-physiological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon in families are not yet fully understood. Aim We specifically investigated externalizing symptoms and psycho-physiological stress regulation profiles (i.e., cortisol, subjective stress) of school-aged children with mother suffering from IPV-related posttraumatic stress disorder (IPV-PTSD). Methods 49 children (divided into healthy control (HC) group, n = 21 and IPV-PTSD group, n = 28) aged 5–9 participated in the study. Externalizing symptoms were assessed through clinical interview, self-report and maternal report. Stress physiology profile was measured via saliva samples to extract cortisol on two different days (5x a day, diurnal pattern) as well as across a stress task (i.e., Trier Social Stress Test for Children – TSST-C). Subjective stress during the TSST-C was reported through a Visual Analogue Scale. Results Children of mothers with IPV-PTSD had more externalizing symptoms, in comparison to children of HC mothers, and showed a positive, significant association between externalizing symptoms and subjective stress during the TSST-C. No consistent between-group differences were observed in baseline cortisol stress levels or reactivity during the TSST-C at this level of analysis. Conclusion Longitudinal findings in the present study support the hypothesis of an intergenerational transmission of externalizing symptoms within the context of interpersonal violence-related trauma. Future research is needed to delve deeper into the psychobiological underpinnings of these intergenerational associations.