The effect of parental trauma on child well-being in Trinidad and Tobago: A mixed-methods study

Background: Evidence from a number of countries suggests that the majority of adults have experienced a traumatic event in their lifetime. Trauma’s effects are pervasive and can significantly alter the trajectory of a person’s life, even making an impact on future generations. Methods: Firstly, I performed a systematic review of the global literature assessing mediators between parental trauma and child well-being. Next, I used a population-based survey conducted in Trinidad and Tobago to investigate the impact of maternal intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure on children’s behavioural outcomes, as mediated by maternal mental health. Finally, my qualitative study explored Trinidadian parents’ perspectives on how adversity has shaped their parenting. Results: My systematic review identified a range of mediating factors, with parental mental health and parenting behaviours featuring most prominently. The review also highlighted key areas of parental trauma research that have been neglected; namely, studies assessing aspects of paternal trauma, physical health measures, and research focused in low- and middle-income countries. In my quantitative study, the association between maternal IPV and child behavioural problems was partially mediated by symptoms of both maternal anxiety and maternal depression. Finally, my qualitative study explained the significant toll that adverse conditions have taken on parents’ well-being. Despite the challenges involved with keeping their families afloat, parents described several adaptive mechanisms they used to cope with their parenting responsibilities during times of distress. Conclusion: Parents are often willing to make significant changes to their lifestyle to protect their children. Regardless of their intentions however, a parent’s experience of trauma can negatively impact children’s well-being in numerous ways, particularly through diminished parental well-being and compromised parenting behaviours. In order to improve both parent and child well-being in the context of adversity, public health interventions should target parental constraints on the individual, interpersonal, social and structural levels.