Association Between Parents’ PTSD Severity and Children's Psychological Distress: A Meta‐Analysis

Abstract

The authors conducted a meta-analysis of studies on the correlation between parents' PTSD symptom severity and children's psychological status. An extensive search of the literature yielded 550 studies that were screened for inclusion criteria (i.e., parent assessed for PTSD, child assessed for distress or behavioral problems, associations between parent PTSD and child status examined). Sixty-two studies were further reviewed, resulting in a final sample of 42 studies. Results yielded a moderate overall effect size r = .35. The authors compared effect sizes for studies where only the parent was exposed to a potentially traumatic event to studies where both parents and children were exposed. A series of moderators related to sample characteristics (sex of parent, type of traumatic event) and study methods (self-report vs. diagnostic interview, type of child assessment administered) were also evaluated. The only significant moderator was type of trauma; the effect size was larger for studies with parent-child dyads who were both exposed to interpersonal trauma (r = .46) than for combat veterans and their children (r = .27) and civilian parent-child dyads who were both exposed to war (r = .25). Results support the importance of considering the family context of trauma survivors and highlight areas for future research.

Family systems approach to attachment relations, war trauma, and mental health among Palestinian children and parents

“…Perhaps unexpectedly, PTSD symptoms did not vary according to family type. However, this result concurs with the understanding that the severity, timing, and type of traumatic experiences are the most important determinants of the severity of PTSD (Lambert, Holzer, & Hasbun, 2014). …”

The transmission of trauma in refugee families: associations between intra-family trauma communication style, children’s attachment security and psychosocial adjustment

“…This study found that children of tortured parents had more symptoms of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, attention deficits, and behavioral disorders compared with the control group. Finally a recent meta-analysis on the association between parents' PTSD severity and children's psychological distress, which included 42 samples found a moderate overall effect size r=.35, indicating that parental symptoms of PTSD influence children negatively (Lambert, Holzer, & Hasbun, 2014).…”

“…Theoretically disruptions in attachment representations (Almqvist & Broberg, 2003), intrafamily communication (Measham & Rousseau, 2010) and parental symptom level (Lambert et al, 2014) have all been proposed as potential mediating mechanisms. This paper seeks to identify potential risk and protective factors by examining the bivariate associations between intra-family communication style regarding the parents' traumatic experiences from the past with children's psychosocial adjustment and attachment security in a sample of traumatized Middle Eastern refugee families with children without a history of direct trauma exposure.…”

“…This perspective is based on the finding that parental symptom levels alone cannot account for psychosocial adjustment in offspring (Lambert et al, 2014). The core assumption is that traumatic experiences may influence adults' internal representations of attachment (Salo, Qouta, & Punamäki, 2005), which may compromise their care-giving ability negatively.…”

Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Children of War Veterans in Kosovo

“…According to Dekel and Goldblatt (2008), clinical observations and empirical research have shown that the consequences of traumatic events are not limited to the person immediately exposed to the event, and that they often affect family and friends. In a meta-analysis involving 42 studies, Lambert et al (2014) suggested the importance of considering the family context of the trauma survivors. Psychological problems of children with traumatized parents should be considered from the perspective of genetic predisposition, secondary traumatisation, difficulties in family functioning, or other challenges associated with living with a traumatized parent.…”