# Cumulative childhood interpersonal trauma and parental stress: The role of partner support

## TL;DR

This study explores how childhood trauma affects parental stress through partner support, showing that both parents' experiences are interdependent.

## Contribution

The study introduces a dyadic approach to examine how partner support mediates the relationship between childhood trauma and parental stress.

## Key findings

- Fathers' childhood trauma is linked to higher paternal stress via lower received and provided partner support.
- Mothers' childhood trauma is associated with increased maternal stress through their received and provided partner support.
- Partner support is identified as a key factor in the relationship between childhood trauma and parental stress.

## Abstract

Parents who have experienced cumulative childhood interpersonal trauma (CCIT, i.e., an accumulation of different types of abuse) tend to experience higher parental stress following the birth of a child. As CCIT is associated with lower levels of partner support, which is linked to increased parental stress, partner support could explain the link between CCIT and parental stress. Yet, these variables have never been studied using a dyadic approach. This study examined the role of received and provided partner support in the association between CCIT and parental stress. A randomly selected sample of 1119 couples with infants completed online questionnaires assessing CCIT, partner support, and parental stress. An actor-partner interdependence model path analysis showed that both parents’ CCIT were associated with increased paternal stress through fathers’ lower received and provided support, and with increased maternal stress through mothers’ received and provided support. Overall, the findings highlight the significance of examining the interdependence between both parents’ experience and the role of partner support as a key factor explaining the link between CCIT and parental stress, thereby emphasizing its importance as an intervention target.