The inter-generational transmission of parental adverse childhood experiences on children's depression and anxiety symptoms: The mediating effect of parenting factors

BACKGROUND: Previous evidence supports the intergenerational links between parental adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and offspring emotional problems. However, the mediating mechanism remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether parenting stress and parenting styles (warmth, rejection, overprotection) mediate the associations between parental ACEs and adolescents' anxiety and depression, controlling for parental mental health. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: 2249 parent-adolescent dyads from high schools in China's Greater Bay Area (Parent Mean age = 41.16 years; adolescents Mean age = 14.18 years). METHODS: At baseline, parents reported ACEs, parenting stress, and mental health; adolescents reported parenting styles. One year later, adolescents reported anxiety and depression symptoms. Structural equation modelling tested mediation. RESULTS: Parental ACEs predicted greater parental rejection and parenting stress. Rejection predicted higher, and warmth predicted lower, adolescent anxiety and depression. Overall, parenting factors significantly mediated the ACE-outcomes link, with a notable pathway via rejection. These mediating pathways were stronger for fathers and male adolescents. CONCLUSION: Parenting factors, especially parental rejection, mediate the intergenerational transmission of ACEs to adolescent internalizing symptoms. Parenting interventions should target these factors while considering gender differences.