Transmission of parental childhood trauma to child behavior problems: Parental Hostile/Helpless state of mind as a moderator.

Background: Little attention has been given to intergenerational transmission of risk, mainly whether caregivers' history of childhood maltreatment is linked to behavioral symptoms in their children and which protective/risk factors are involved in this transmission process.

Objective: This study examined if parental Hostile/Helpless (H/H) state of mind with respect to attachment moderated the association between parental childhood trauma and behavior problems in maltreated children.

Participants And Setting: The sample included 61 parents and their children victims or at very high risk of maltreatment, aged between 1 and 6 years old.