# The Legacy of Adversity? The Impact of Caregivers’ Childhood Experiences and Children’s Mental Health on Family Dynamics and Perceived Burden During the COVID-19 Pandemic

## TL;DR

The study finds that caregivers with more childhood adversity experience higher child mental health issues, which in turn increases their pandemic-related burden, but unexpectedly shows resilience in family dynamics.

## Contribution

It reveals a mediated pathway from caregiver adversity to pandemic burden via child psychopathology and unexpected resilience in family adjustment.

## Key findings

- Child psychopathology mediates the link between caregiver ACEs and perceived pandemic burden.
- Higher ACEs in caregivers were associated with less negative family relationship changes during the pandemic.
- Caregivers with more ACEs showed unexpected resilience in family dynamics, especially in 2023.

## Abstract

This study explores how caregivers’ adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) relate to their perceived COVID-19 burden, child psychopathology, and perceived changes in family relationships during the pandemic in a clinical sample of families.

What are the main findings?
Higher caregiver ACEs were not directly linked to perceived COVID-19 burden but were indirectly linked via increased child psychopathology, which significantly predicted caregiver burden.While caregivers generally perceived pandemic-related family changes as slightly negative, higher ACEs were unexpectedly associated with less negative changes, especially in 2023.

Higher caregiver ACEs were not directly linked to perceived COVID-19 burden but were indirectly linked via increased child psychopathology, which significantly predicted caregiver burden.

While caregivers generally perceived pandemic-related family changes as slightly negative, higher ACEs were unexpectedly associated with less negative changes, especially in 2023.

What are the implications of the main findings?
Child psychopathology plays a key role in the intergenerational transmission of stress, highlighting the need to address children’s mental health in families with high caregiver adversity.Unexpected resilience among high-ACE caregivers suggests that support systems, coping strategies, or shifted expectations may buffer family relationship burden during prolonged crises.

Child psychopathology plays a key role in the intergenerational transmission of stress, highlighting the need to address children’s mental health in families with high caregiver adversity.

Unexpected resilience among high-ACE caregivers suggests that support systems, coping strategies, or shifted expectations may buffer family relationship burden during prolonged crises.

Background: This cross-sectional observational study examined the relationship between caregivers’ adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), their perceived COVID-19-related burden, child psychopathology, and changes in family relationships during the pandemic. Methods: The final sample included 285 children (M = 10.19, SD = 3.36) from clinical settings and their caregivers. Caregivers reported their own ACEs and their children’s psychopathology. Perceived caregiver COVID-19 burden and changes in family relationships were also assessed. Correlational analyses, regressions, and mediation models were conducted to test direct and indirect associations. Results: Caregivers reported an average of 1.63 ACEs, with 18.4% reporting four or more. Children of caregivers who reported four or more ACEs exhibited significantly elevated psychopathology scores. However, caregiver ACEs did not directly predict the perceived COVID-19 burden. A mediation analysis revealed that child psychopathology mediated the association between caregiver ACEs and caregiver COVID-19 burden. Unexpectedly, higher caregiver ACEs were associated with less negative perceived changes in family relationships, particularly in 2023, indicating heterogeneous family adjustment trajectories. Conclusions: These findings highlight that child psychopathology is a key mechanism in the intergenerational transmission of caregiver burden linked to childhood adversity. They also suggest that support systems, resilience, or differing expectations among high-ACE caregivers may help buffer changes in family relationship. Early identification and trauma-informed, family-centered interventions beyond acute crisis are essential. However, limitations include the reliance on caregiver self-report and cross-sectional design. Further, longitudinal, multi-informant research is needed to clarify these dynamics and inform targeted support strategies.