The relationship between childhood abuse and mothers' current parenting: The moderating role of benevolent experiences

Introduction: Childhood abuse is associated with numerous consequences which can affect individual's performance in adulthood. Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the moderating role of benevolent experiences in the relationship between childhood abuse and mothers' current parenting. Method: The present study was a descriptive-correlational study. The statistical population comprised all mothers with children aged 6 years and older residing in Kermanshah in 2021. A total of 269 mothers were selected through convenience sampling and completed the study instruments, including the Parenting Styles Questionnaire (Baumrind, 1991), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (Bernstein et al., 2003), and the Benevolent Childhood Experiences Scale (Narayan et al., 2018). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27 and AMOS version 24, employing Pearson correlation, partial correlation, and path analysis techniques Results: The correlation matrix indicated a significant negative relationship between childhood abuse and authoritative parenting (r=-0.28, p<0.05), and a significant positive relationship between benevolent experiences and authoritative parenting (r=0.45, p<0.05). After controlling for benevolent experiences, the strength of the association between childhood abuse and authoritative parenting decreased to a non-significant level (r=-0.10). Furthermore, the significance of the interaction effect confirmed the moderating role of benevolent experiences in the relationship between childhood abuse and authoritative parenting. Conclusion: The greater the amount of benevolent experiences, the greater the chance of using a desirable or authoritative parenting style. In addition, these experiences can reduce the severity of the adverse effects of childhood abuse experience. Therefore, it is suggested that mental health professionals pay special attention to the role of benevolent experiences as one of the strategies for preventing and mitigating the adverse effects of childhood trauma experiences in parental education.