BACKGROUND: Children whose mothers report partner violence and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at risk for behavior dysfunctions.
AIM: To examine the mediating effects of maternal PTSD symptoms on the relationship of parenting behaviors to child internalizing and externalizing behavior dysfunctions.
FINDINGS: Maternal PTSD symptoms have a partial mediating effect on the relationship between inconsistent discipline and child internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Maternal PTSD symptoms have a fully mediating effect on the relationship between poor supervision and child internalizing behaviors.
CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to identify women who report partner violence and are at high risk for PTSD and intervene early to prevent problematic parenting and resulting child behavior problems.