Caregiver childhood abuse and neglect and children's cognitive and social-emotional development: The role of parenting practices
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Longitudinal evidence on how caregivers' own childhood abuse and neglect (CA&N) is associated with children's development remains limited in low- and middle-income countries, where grandparents often serve as primary caregivers. Using five waves (2015-2024) of data from 1243 children in rural western China, we examined associations between caregiver CA&N and children's cognitive and social-emotional development, as well as statistical mediation through parenting practices, using mixed-effects models and bootstrap mediation analyses. Children whose caregivers reported CA&N showed persistently lower cognitive performance and greater social-emotional difficulties, with cognitive disparities widening over time. Physical neglect was associated with both developmental domains, whereas emotional neglect was primarily associated with social-emotional outcomes, with suggestive evidence that cognitive disparities emerged gradually over time. Statistical mediation was limited mainly to social-emotional outcomes, where indirect associations ran chiefly through neglectful parenting; there was little evidence of mediation for cognitive outcomes. Associations did not differ significantly between parental and grandparental caregivers, although point estimates were larger for parents. Neglectful parenting may be one route through which caregiver CA&N is linked to children's social-emotional difficulties, which points to the value of supporting caregivers with a history of CA&N.
Source: SSM - Population Health
Institutions: Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an University
Language: English
Topic: Child Abuse and Trauma
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,930
Award: G3513459421
OpenAlex ID: W7222076632