Mothers with a History of Abuse Tend to Show More Impulsiveness

Background: Maternal history of abuse is a postulated risk factor for child maltreatment. However, there have been no case-control studies on maternal impulsiveness in a larger sample of mothers with a history of abuse. Method: Women in the area of Heidelberg giving birth to a child between May 2005 and June 2007 were contacted by mail and presented with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Women who reached a cut-off for moderate or severe sexual and/or physical abuse and whose children were term babies with APGAR-Scores greater than 7 were included in the study to form the index group (n=58). Maternal impulsiveness was assessed at 12 months child age. Results: The results show that mothers with a history of physical or sexual abuse--matched for infant gender, maternal education, marital status, number of infants and birth weight--show significantly more impulsiveness. Conclusions: Maternal history of abuse significantly increases maternal impulsiveness, which has been frequently postulated but never empirically shown in a prospective design. These data underline the necessity to intensify early preventive efforts in mothers with a history of abuse and their young children. Practice implications: These findings identify increased impulsiveness in mothers with a history of abuse as a potential risk factor that should be considered in clinical and counselling settings. (Contains 1 table.)