Slide
Centre Interdisciplinaire
de Recherche et d’Innovation
en Cybersécurité et Société
de Recherche et d’Innovation
en Cybersécurité et Société
1.
Bérubé, A.; Pétrin, R.; Boudreault, M.; Marcotte-Beaumier, G.; Blais, C.
Childhood maltreatment influences parental mimicry of children's emotional facial expressions Journal Article
In: Child Abuse and Neglect, vol. 170, 2025, ISSN: 01452134 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adult, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, anger, article, Child, Child Abuse, child abuse survivor, child parent relation, childhood maltreatment, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, controlled study, Diagnosis, disgust, emotion, Emotional facial expressions, emotional neglect, Emotions, Facial Expression, female, human, Humans, major clinical study, male, Mimicry, neglect, parent, Parent-Child Relations, Parenting, Parents, path analysis, physical abuse, psychological functioning, psychology, questionnaire, sadness, sexual abuse, social bonding, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult
@article{berube_childhood_2025,
title = {Childhood maltreatment influences parental mimicry of children's emotional facial expressions},
author = {A. Bérubé and R. Pétrin and M. Boudreault and G. Marcotte-Beaumier and C. Blais},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105020986193&doi=10.1016%2Fj.chiabu.2025.107787&partnerID=40&md5=18593b82f701fc76ad054419d48dfc69},
doi = {10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107787},
issn = {01452134 (ISSN)},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {Child Abuse and Neglect},
volume = {170},
abstract = {Background: Childhood maltreatment can disrupt socio-emotional functioning, potentially influencing how parents respond to children's emotional facial expressions. Mimicry, an automatic reaction to others' facial expressions, is a critical mechanism for social bonding and affiliation in parent-child relationships. However, the effects of childhood maltreatment on parental mimicry remain underexplored. Objective: This study examined the relationship between different forms of childhood maltreatment and parents' mimicry of children's emotional facial expressions. Participants and setting: Fifty-seven parents participated in an emotion recognition task conducted either at a local community organization or at the university laboratory. Methods: Parents' facial reactions were recorded and analyzed using FaceReader software to detect mimicry. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) assessed parental history of maltreatment. A path analysis model was conducted to evaluate the associations between forms of childhood maltreatment and parental mimicry. Results: A history of physical abuse predicted increased expressions of anger, while physical neglect was linked to reduced anger but heightened disgust. Emotional and sexual abuse were associated with diminished mimicry of sadness, whereas emotional neglect predicted enhanced sadness mimicry. Conclusions: Findings suggest that childhood maltreatment alters parents' facial reactions to children's emotional facial expressions, potentially impacting parental sensitivity. © 2025},
keywords = {Adolescent, adult, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, anger, article, Child, Child Abuse, child abuse survivor, child parent relation, childhood maltreatment, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, controlled study, Diagnosis, disgust, emotion, Emotional facial expressions, emotional neglect, Emotions, Facial Expression, female, human, Humans, major clinical study, male, Mimicry, neglect, parent, Parent-Child Relations, Parenting, Parents, path analysis, physical abuse, psychological functioning, psychology, questionnaire, sadness, sexual abuse, social bonding, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Background: Childhood maltreatment can disrupt socio-emotional functioning, potentially influencing how parents respond to children's emotional facial expressions. Mimicry, an automatic reaction to others' facial expressions, is a critical mechanism for social bonding and affiliation in parent-child relationships. However, the effects of childhood maltreatment on parental mimicry remain underexplored. Objective: This study examined the relationship between different forms of childhood maltreatment and parents' mimicry of children's emotional facial expressions. Participants and setting: Fifty-seven parents participated in an emotion recognition task conducted either at a local community organization or at the university laboratory. Methods: Parents' facial reactions were recorded and analyzed using FaceReader software to detect mimicry. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) assessed parental history of maltreatment. A path analysis model was conducted to evaluate the associations between forms of childhood maltreatment and parental mimicry. Results: A history of physical abuse predicted increased expressions of anger, while physical neglect was linked to reduced anger but heightened disgust. Emotional and sexual abuse were associated with diminished mimicry of sadness, whereas emotional neglect predicted enhanced sadness mimicry. Conclusions: Findings suggest that childhood maltreatment alters parents' facial reactions to children's emotional facial expressions, potentially impacting parental sensitivity. © 2025
2.
Bérubé, A.; Pearson, J.; Blais, C.; Forget, H.
In: Development and Psychopathology, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 281–291, 2025, ISSN: 09545794 (ISSN), (Publisher: Cambridge University Press).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, chemistry, Child, Child Abuse, child abuse survivor, child parent relation, childhood maltreatment, emotion, Emotion Recognition, Emotions, Facial Expression, female, human, Humans, Hydrocortisone, male, mental stress, metabolism, mother, mother child relation, Mother-Child Relations, Mothers, Parenting, physiology, Preschool, preschool child, Psychological, psychology, Saliva, sensitivity, Stress, stress reactivity
@article{berube_stress_2025,
title = {Stress and emotion recognition predict the relationship between a history of maltreatment and sensitive parenting behaviors: A moderated-moderation},
author = {A. Bérubé and J. Pearson and C. Blais and H. Forget},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85182715913&doi=10.1017%2fS095457942300158X&partnerID=40&md5=b3a9056662cf94740131bfd6fbe7352e},
doi = {10.1017/S095457942300158X},
issn = {09545794 (ISSN)},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {Development and Psychopathology},
volume = {37},
number = {1},
pages = {281–291},
publisher = {Cambridge University Press},
abstract = {Our study proposes to examine how stress and emotion recognition interact with a history of maltreatment to influence sensitive parenting behaviors. A sample of 58 mothers and their children aged between 2 and 5 years old were recruited. Parents' history of maltreatment was measured using the Child Trauma Questionnaire. An emotion recognition task was performed. Mothers identified the dominant emotion in morphed facial emotion expressions in children. Mothers and children interacted for 15 minutes. Salivary cortisol levels of mothers were collected before and after the interaction. Maternal sensitive behaviors were coded during the interaction using the Coding Interactive Behavior scheme. Results indicate that the severity of childhood maltreatment is related to less sensitive behaviors for mothers with average to good abilities in emotion recognition and lower to average increases in cortisol levels following an interaction with their children. For mothers with higher cortisol levels, there is no association between a history of maltreatment and sensitive behaviors, indicating that higher stress reactivity could act as a protective factor. Our study highlights the complex interaction between individual characteristics and environmental factors when it comes to parenting. These results argue for targeted interventions that address personal trauma. © 2024 The Author(s).},
note = {Publisher: Cambridge University Press},
keywords = {adult, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, chemistry, Child, Child Abuse, child abuse survivor, child parent relation, childhood maltreatment, emotion, Emotion Recognition, Emotions, Facial Expression, female, human, Humans, Hydrocortisone, male, mental stress, metabolism, mother, mother child relation, Mother-Child Relations, Mothers, Parenting, physiology, Preschool, preschool child, Psychological, psychology, Saliva, sensitivity, Stress, stress reactivity},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Our study proposes to examine how stress and emotion recognition interact with a history of maltreatment to influence sensitive parenting behaviors. A sample of 58 mothers and their children aged between 2 and 5 years old were recruited. Parents' history of maltreatment was measured using the Child Trauma Questionnaire. An emotion recognition task was performed. Mothers identified the dominant emotion in morphed facial emotion expressions in children. Mothers and children interacted for 15 minutes. Salivary cortisol levels of mothers were collected before and after the interaction. Maternal sensitive behaviors were coded during the interaction using the Coding Interactive Behavior scheme. Results indicate that the severity of childhood maltreatment is related to less sensitive behaviors for mothers with average to good abilities in emotion recognition and lower to average increases in cortisol levels following an interaction with their children. For mothers with higher cortisol levels, there is no association between a history of maltreatment and sensitive behaviors, indicating that higher stress reactivity could act as a protective factor. Our study highlights the complex interaction between individual characteristics and environmental factors when it comes to parenting. These results argue for targeted interventions that address personal trauma. © 2024 The Author(s).
3.
Bérubé, A.; Pétrin, R.; Boudreault, M.; Marcotte-Beaumier, G.; Blais, C.
Childhood maltreatment influences parental mimicry of children's emotional facial expressions Journal Article
In: Child Abuse and Neglect, vol. 170, 2025, ISSN: 01452134 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adult, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, anger, article, Child, Child Abuse, child abuse survivor, child parent relation, childhood maltreatment, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, controlled study, Diagnosis, disgust, emotion, Emotional facial expressions, emotional neglect, Emotions, Facial Expression, female, human, Humans, major clinical study, male, Mimicry, neglect, parent, Parent-Child Relations, Parenting, Parents, path analysis, physical abuse, psychological functioning, psychology, questionnaire, sadness, sexual abuse, social bonding, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult
@article{berubeChildhoodMaltreatmentInfluences2025,
title = {Childhood maltreatment influences parental mimicry of children's emotional facial expressions},
author = {A. Bérubé and R. Pétrin and M. Boudreault and G. Marcotte-Beaumier and C. Blais},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105020986193?origin=resultslist},
doi = {10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107787},
issn = {01452134 (ISSN)},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {Child Abuse and Neglect},
volume = {170},
publisher = {Elsevier Ltd},
abstract = {Background: Childhood maltreatment can disrupt socio-emotional functioning, potentially influencing how parents respond to children's emotional facial expressions. Mimicry, an automatic reaction to others' facial expressions, is a critical mechanism for social bonding and affiliation in parent-child relationships. However, the effects of childhood maltreatment on parental mimicry remain underexplored. Objective: This study examined the relationship between different forms of childhood maltreatment and parents' mimicry of children's emotional facial expressions. Participants and setting: Fifty-seven parents participated in an emotion recognition task conducted either at a local community organization or at the university laboratory. Methods: Parents' facial reactions were recorded and analyzed using FaceReader software to detect mimicry. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) assessed parental history of maltreatment. A path analysis model was conducted to evaluate the associations between forms of childhood maltreatment and parental mimicry. Results: A history of physical abuse predicted increased expressions of anger, while physical neglect was linked to reduced anger but heightened disgust. Emotional and sexual abuse were associated with diminished mimicry of sadness, whereas emotional neglect predicted enhanced sadness mimicry. Conclusions: Findings suggest that childhood maltreatment alters parents' facial reactions to children's emotional facial expressions, potentially impacting parental sensitivity. © 2025},
keywords = {Adolescent, adult, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, anger, article, Child, Child Abuse, child abuse survivor, child parent relation, childhood maltreatment, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, controlled study, Diagnosis, disgust, emotion, Emotional facial expressions, emotional neglect, Emotions, Facial Expression, female, human, Humans, major clinical study, male, Mimicry, neglect, parent, Parent-Child Relations, Parenting, Parents, path analysis, physical abuse, psychological functioning, psychology, questionnaire, sadness, sexual abuse, social bonding, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Background: Childhood maltreatment can disrupt socio-emotional functioning, potentially influencing how parents respond to children's emotional facial expressions. Mimicry, an automatic reaction to others' facial expressions, is a critical mechanism for social bonding and affiliation in parent-child relationships. However, the effects of childhood maltreatment on parental mimicry remain underexplored. Objective: This study examined the relationship between different forms of childhood maltreatment and parents' mimicry of children's emotional facial expressions. Participants and setting: Fifty-seven parents participated in an emotion recognition task conducted either at a local community organization or at the university laboratory. Methods: Parents' facial reactions were recorded and analyzed using FaceReader software to detect mimicry. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) assessed parental history of maltreatment. A path analysis model was conducted to evaluate the associations between forms of childhood maltreatment and parental mimicry. Results: A history of physical abuse predicted increased expressions of anger, while physical neglect was linked to reduced anger but heightened disgust. Emotional and sexual abuse were associated with diminished mimicry of sadness, whereas emotional neglect predicted enhanced sadness mimicry. Conclusions: Findings suggest that childhood maltreatment alters parents' facial reactions to children's emotional facial expressions, potentially impacting parental sensitivity. © 2025
4.
Bérubé, A.; Pearson, J.; Blais, C.; Forget, H.
In: Development and Psychopathology, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 281–291, 2025, ISSN: 09545794 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, chemistry, Child, Child Abuse, child abuse survivor, child parent relation, childhood maltreatment, emotion, Emotion Recognition, Emotions, Facial Expression, female, human, Humans, Hydrocortisone, male, mental stress, metabolism, mother, mother child relation, Mother-Child Relations, Mothers, Parenting, physiology, Preschool, preschool child, Psychological, psychology, Saliva, sensitivity, Stress, stress reactivity
@article{berubeStressEmotionRecognition2025a,
title = {Stress and emotion recognition predict the relationship between a history of maltreatment and sensitive parenting behaviors: A moderated-moderation},
author = {A. Bérubé and J. Pearson and C. Blais and H. Forget},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85182715913?origin=resultslist},
doi = {10.1017/S095457942300158X},
issn = {09545794 (ISSN)},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {Development and Psychopathology},
volume = {37},
number = {1},
pages = {281–291},
publisher = {Cambridge University Press},
abstract = {Our study proposes to examine how stress and emotion recognition interact with a history of maltreatment to influence sensitive parenting behaviors. A sample of 58 mothers and their children aged between 2 and 5 years old were recruited. Parents' history of maltreatment was measured using the Child Trauma Questionnaire. An emotion recognition task was performed. Mothers identified the dominant emotion in morphed facial emotion expressions in children. Mothers and children interacted for 15 minutes. Salivary cortisol levels of mothers were collected before and after the interaction. Maternal sensitive behaviors were coded during the interaction using the Coding Interactive Behavior scheme. Results indicate that the severity of childhood maltreatment is related to less sensitive behaviors for mothers with average to good abilities in emotion recognition and lower to average increases in cortisol levels following an interaction with their children. For mothers with higher cortisol levels, there is no association between a history of maltreatment and sensitive behaviors, indicating that higher stress reactivity could act as a protective factor. Our study highlights the complex interaction between individual characteristics and environmental factors when it comes to parenting. These results argue for targeted interventions that address personal trauma. © 2024 The Author(s).},
keywords = {adult, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, chemistry, Child, Child Abuse, child abuse survivor, child parent relation, childhood maltreatment, emotion, Emotion Recognition, Emotions, Facial Expression, female, human, Humans, Hydrocortisone, male, mental stress, metabolism, mother, mother child relation, Mother-Child Relations, Mothers, Parenting, physiology, Preschool, preschool child, Psychological, psychology, Saliva, sensitivity, Stress, stress reactivity},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Our study proposes to examine how stress and emotion recognition interact with a history of maltreatment to influence sensitive parenting behaviors. A sample of 58 mothers and their children aged between 2 and 5 years old were recruited. Parents' history of maltreatment was measured using the Child Trauma Questionnaire. An emotion recognition task was performed. Mothers identified the dominant emotion in morphed facial emotion expressions in children. Mothers and children interacted for 15 minutes. Salivary cortisol levels of mothers were collected before and after the interaction. Maternal sensitive behaviors were coded during the interaction using the Coding Interactive Behavior scheme. Results indicate that the severity of childhood maltreatment is related to less sensitive behaviors for mothers with average to good abilities in emotion recognition and lower to average increases in cortisol levels following an interaction with their children. For mothers with higher cortisol levels, there is no association between a history of maltreatment and sensitive behaviors, indicating that higher stress reactivity could act as a protective factor. Our study highlights the complex interaction between individual characteristics and environmental factors when it comes to parenting. These results argue for targeted interventions that address personal trauma. © 2024 The Author(s).
5.
Bérubé, A.; Pétrin, R.; Boudreault, M.; Marcotte-Beaumier, G.; Blais, C.
Childhood maltreatment influences parental mimicry of children's emotional facial expressions Journal Article
In: Child Abuse and Neglect, vol. 170, 2025, ISSN: 01452134 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adult, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, anger, article, Child, Child Abuse, child abuse survivor, child parent relation, childhood maltreatment, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, controlled study, Diagnosis, disgust, emotion, Emotional facial expressions, emotional neglect, Emotions, Facial Expression, female, human, Humans, major clinical study, male, Mimicry, neglect, parent, Parent-Child Relations, Parenting, Parents, path analysis, physical abuse, psychological functioning, psychology, questionnaire, sadness, sexual abuse, social bonding, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult
@article{berubeChildhoodMaltreatmentInfluences2025a,
title = {Childhood maltreatment influences parental mimicry of children's emotional facial expressions},
author = {A. Bérubé and R. Pétrin and M. Boudreault and G. Marcotte-Beaumier and C. Blais},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105020986193&doi=10.1016%2Fj.chiabu.2025.107787&partnerID=40&md5=18593b82f701fc76ad054419d48dfc69},
doi = {10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107787},
issn = {01452134 (ISSN)},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {Child Abuse and Neglect},
volume = {170},
abstract = {Background: Childhood maltreatment can disrupt socio-emotional functioning, potentially influencing how parents respond to children's emotional facial expressions. Mimicry, an automatic reaction to others' facial expressions, is a critical mechanism for social bonding and affiliation in parent-child relationships. However, the effects of childhood maltreatment on parental mimicry remain underexplored. Objective: This study examined the relationship between different forms of childhood maltreatment and parents' mimicry of children's emotional facial expressions. Participants and setting: Fifty-seven parents participated in an emotion recognition task conducted either at a local community organization or at the university laboratory. Methods: Parents' facial reactions were recorded and analyzed using FaceReader software to detect mimicry. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) assessed parental history of maltreatment. A path analysis model was conducted to evaluate the associations between forms of childhood maltreatment and parental mimicry. Results: A history of physical abuse predicted increased expressions of anger, while physical neglect was linked to reduced anger but heightened disgust. Emotional and sexual abuse were associated with diminished mimicry of sadness, whereas emotional neglect predicted enhanced sadness mimicry. Conclusions: Findings suggest that childhood maltreatment alters parents' facial reactions to children's emotional facial expressions, potentially impacting parental sensitivity. © 2025},
keywords = {Adolescent, adult, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, anger, article, Child, Child Abuse, child abuse survivor, child parent relation, childhood maltreatment, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, controlled study, Diagnosis, disgust, emotion, Emotional facial expressions, emotional neglect, Emotions, Facial Expression, female, human, Humans, major clinical study, male, Mimicry, neglect, parent, Parent-Child Relations, Parenting, Parents, path analysis, physical abuse, psychological functioning, psychology, questionnaire, sadness, sexual abuse, social bonding, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Background: Childhood maltreatment can disrupt socio-emotional functioning, potentially influencing how parents respond to children's emotional facial expressions. Mimicry, an automatic reaction to others' facial expressions, is a critical mechanism for social bonding and affiliation in parent-child relationships. However, the effects of childhood maltreatment on parental mimicry remain underexplored. Objective: This study examined the relationship between different forms of childhood maltreatment and parents' mimicry of children's emotional facial expressions. Participants and setting: Fifty-seven parents participated in an emotion recognition task conducted either at a local community organization or at the university laboratory. Methods: Parents' facial reactions were recorded and analyzed using FaceReader software to detect mimicry. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) assessed parental history of maltreatment. A path analysis model was conducted to evaluate the associations between forms of childhood maltreatment and parental mimicry. Results: A history of physical abuse predicted increased expressions of anger, while physical neglect was linked to reduced anger but heightened disgust. Emotional and sexual abuse were associated with diminished mimicry of sadness, whereas emotional neglect predicted enhanced sadness mimicry. Conclusions: Findings suggest that childhood maltreatment alters parents' facial reactions to children's emotional facial expressions, potentially impacting parental sensitivity. © 2025
6.
Bérubé, A.; Pétrin, R.; Boudreault, M.; Marcotte-Beaumier, G.; Blais, C.
Childhood maltreatment influences parental mimicry of children's emotional facial expressions Journal Article
In: Child Abuse and Neglect, vol. 170, 2025, ISSN: 01452134 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Adolescent, adult, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, anger, article, Child, Child Abuse, child abuse survivor, child parent relation, childhood maltreatment, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, controlled study, Diagnosis, disgust, emotion, Emotional facial expressions, emotional neglect, Emotions, Facial Expression, female, human, Humans, major clinical study, male, Mimicry, neglect, parent, Parent-Child Relations, Parenting, Parents, path analysis, physical abuse, psychological functioning, psychology, questionnaire, sadness, sexual abuse, social bonding, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult
@article{berubeChildhoodMaltreatmentInfluences2025b,
title = {Childhood maltreatment influences parental mimicry of children's emotional facial expressions},
author = {A. Bérubé and R. Pétrin and M. Boudreault and G. Marcotte-Beaumier and C. Blais},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105020986193&doi=10.1016%2Fj.chiabu.2025.107787&partnerID=40&md5=18593b82f701fc76ad054419d48dfc69},
doi = {10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107787},
issn = {01452134 (ISSN)},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {Child Abuse and Neglect},
volume = {170},
abstract = {Background: Childhood maltreatment can disrupt socio-emotional functioning, potentially influencing how parents respond to children's emotional facial expressions. Mimicry, an automatic reaction to others' facial expressions, is a critical mechanism for social bonding and affiliation in parent-child relationships. However, the effects of childhood maltreatment on parental mimicry remain underexplored. Objective: This study examined the relationship between different forms of childhood maltreatment and parents' mimicry of children's emotional facial expressions. Participants and setting: Fifty-seven parents participated in an emotion recognition task conducted either at a local community organization or at the university laboratory. Methods: Parents' facial reactions were recorded and analyzed using FaceReader software to detect mimicry. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) assessed parental history of maltreatment. A path analysis model was conducted to evaluate the associations between forms of childhood maltreatment and parental mimicry. Results: A history of physical abuse predicted increased expressions of anger, while physical neglect was linked to reduced anger but heightened disgust. Emotional and sexual abuse were associated with diminished mimicry of sadness, whereas emotional neglect predicted enhanced sadness mimicry. Conclusions: Findings suggest that childhood maltreatment alters parents' facial reactions to children's emotional facial expressions, potentially impacting parental sensitivity. © 2025},
keywords = {Adolescent, adult, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, anger, article, Child, Child Abuse, child abuse survivor, child parent relation, childhood maltreatment, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, controlled study, Diagnosis, disgust, emotion, Emotional facial expressions, emotional neglect, Emotions, Facial Expression, female, human, Humans, major clinical study, male, Mimicry, neglect, parent, Parent-Child Relations, Parenting, Parents, path analysis, physical abuse, psychological functioning, psychology, questionnaire, sadness, sexual abuse, social bonding, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Background: Childhood maltreatment can disrupt socio-emotional functioning, potentially influencing how parents respond to children's emotional facial expressions. Mimicry, an automatic reaction to others' facial expressions, is a critical mechanism for social bonding and affiliation in parent-child relationships. However, the effects of childhood maltreatment on parental mimicry remain underexplored. Objective: This study examined the relationship between different forms of childhood maltreatment and parents' mimicry of children's emotional facial expressions. Participants and setting: Fifty-seven parents participated in an emotion recognition task conducted either at a local community organization or at the university laboratory. Methods: Parents' facial reactions were recorded and analyzed using FaceReader software to detect mimicry. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) assessed parental history of maltreatment. A path analysis model was conducted to evaluate the associations between forms of childhood maltreatment and parental mimicry. Results: A history of physical abuse predicted increased expressions of anger, while physical neglect was linked to reduced anger but heightened disgust. Emotional and sexual abuse were associated with diminished mimicry of sadness, whereas emotional neglect predicted enhanced sadness mimicry. Conclusions: Findings suggest that childhood maltreatment alters parents' facial reactions to children's emotional facial expressions, potentially impacting parental sensitivity. © 2025
7.
Bérubé, A.; Pearson, J.; Blais, C.; Forget, H.
In: Development and Psychopathology, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 281–291, 2025, ISSN: 09545794 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, chemistry, Child, Child Abuse, child abuse survivor, child parent relation, childhood maltreatment, emotion, Emotion Recognition, Emotions, Facial Expression, female, human, Humans, Hydrocortisone, male, mental stress, metabolism, mother, mother child relation, Mother-Child Relations, Mothers, Parenting, physiology, Preschool, preschool child, Psychological, psychology, Saliva, sensitivity, Stress, stress reactivity
@article{berubeStressEmotionRecognition2025,
title = {Stress and emotion recognition predict the relationship between a history of maltreatment and sensitive parenting behaviors: A moderated-moderation},
author = {A. Bérubé and J. Pearson and C. Blais and H. Forget},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85182715913&doi=10.1017%2fS095457942300158X&partnerID=40&md5=b3a9056662cf94740131bfd6fbe7352e},
doi = {10.1017/S095457942300158X},
issn = {09545794 (ISSN)},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {Development and Psychopathology},
volume = {37},
number = {1},
pages = {281–291},
publisher = {Cambridge University Press},
abstract = {Our study proposes to examine how stress and emotion recognition interact with a history of maltreatment to influence sensitive parenting behaviors. A sample of 58 mothers and their children aged between 2 and 5 years old were recruited. Parents' history of maltreatment was measured using the Child Trauma Questionnaire. An emotion recognition task was performed. Mothers identified the dominant emotion in morphed facial emotion expressions in children. Mothers and children interacted for 15 minutes. Salivary cortisol levels of mothers were collected before and after the interaction. Maternal sensitive behaviors were coded during the interaction using the Coding Interactive Behavior scheme. Results indicate that the severity of childhood maltreatment is related to less sensitive behaviors for mothers with average to good abilities in emotion recognition and lower to average increases in cortisol levels following an interaction with their children. For mothers with higher cortisol levels, there is no association between a history of maltreatment and sensitive behaviors, indicating that higher stress reactivity could act as a protective factor. Our study highlights the complex interaction between individual characteristics and environmental factors when it comes to parenting. These results argue for targeted interventions that address personal trauma. © 2024 The Author(s).},
keywords = {adult, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, chemistry, Child, Child Abuse, child abuse survivor, child parent relation, childhood maltreatment, emotion, Emotion Recognition, Emotions, Facial Expression, female, human, Humans, Hydrocortisone, male, mental stress, metabolism, mother, mother child relation, Mother-Child Relations, Mothers, Parenting, physiology, Preschool, preschool child, Psychological, psychology, Saliva, sensitivity, Stress, stress reactivity},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Our study proposes to examine how stress and emotion recognition interact with a history of maltreatment to influence sensitive parenting behaviors. A sample of 58 mothers and their children aged between 2 and 5 years old were recruited. Parents' history of maltreatment was measured using the Child Trauma Questionnaire. An emotion recognition task was performed. Mothers identified the dominant emotion in morphed facial emotion expressions in children. Mothers and children interacted for 15 minutes. Salivary cortisol levels of mothers were collected before and after the interaction. Maternal sensitive behaviors were coded during the interaction using the Coding Interactive Behavior scheme. Results indicate that the severity of childhood maltreatment is related to less sensitive behaviors for mothers with average to good abilities in emotion recognition and lower to average increases in cortisol levels following an interaction with their children. For mothers with higher cortisol levels, there is no association between a history of maltreatment and sensitive behaviors, indicating that higher stress reactivity could act as a protective factor. Our study highlights the complex interaction between individual characteristics and environmental factors when it comes to parenting. These results argue for targeted interventions that address personal trauma. © 2024 The Author(s).
8.
Bérubé, A.; Pétrin, R.; Blais, C.
Parental depression moderates the relationship between childhood maltreatment and the recognition of children expressions of emotions Journal Article
In: Frontiers in Psychiatry, vol. 15, 2024, ISSN: 16640640 (ISSN), (Publisher: Frontiers Media SA).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, anger, article, Beck Depression Inventory, Child, Child Abuse, child parent relation, childhood maltreatment, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Depression, disease severity, disgust, educational status, emotion, Emotion Recognition, Facial Expression, female, happiness, human, income, major clinical study, male, parent-child relationship, parental sensitivity, preschool child, questionnaire, recognition, sadness
@article{berube_parental_2024,
title = {Parental depression moderates the relationship between childhood maltreatment and the recognition of children expressions of emotions},
author = {A. Bérubé and R. Pétrin and C. Blais},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85196266525&doi=10.3389%2ffpsyt.2024.1374872&partnerID=40&md5=ce03a1c39e709fc0f2c773d4f82f3a10},
doi = {10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1374872},
issn = {16640640 (ISSN)},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
journal = {Frontiers in Psychiatry},
volume = {15},
publisher = {Frontiers Media SA},
abstract = {Background: Sensitivity plays a crucial role in parenting as it involves the ability to perceive and respond appropriately to children’s signals. Childhood maltreatment and depression can negatively impact adults’ ability to recognize emotions, but it is unclear which of these factors has a greater impact or how they interact. This knowledge is central to developing efficient, targeted interventions. This paper examines the interaction between parents’ depressive symptoms and childhood maltreatment and its influence on their ability to recognize the five basic emotions (happiness, anger, sadness, fear, and disgust) in children’s faces. Method: The sample consisted of 52 parents. Depressive symptoms were measured by the depression subscale of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18), and maltreatment history was assessed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Children’s emotional stimuli were morphed images created using The Child Affective Facial Expression (CAFE) database. Results: Our findings indicate that depressive symptoms moderate the relationship between parents’ history of childhood maltreatment and emotion recognition skills. Parents with higher depressive symptoms had lower emotion recognition accuracy when they had not experienced maltreatment. When childhood maltreatment was severe, emotion recognition skills were more consistent across all levels of depression. The relationship between depression and emotion recognition was primarily linked to recognizing sadness in children’s faces. Conclusion: These findings highlight how different experiences can affect parental abilities in emotion recognition and emphasize the need for interventions tailored to individual profiles to improve their effectiveness. Copyright © 2024 Bérubé, Pétrin and Blais.},
note = {Publisher: Frontiers Media SA},
keywords = {adult, anger, article, Beck Depression Inventory, Child, Child Abuse, child parent relation, childhood maltreatment, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Depression, disease severity, disgust, educational status, emotion, Emotion Recognition, Facial Expression, female, happiness, human, income, major clinical study, male, parent-child relationship, parental sensitivity, preschool child, questionnaire, recognition, sadness},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Background: Sensitivity plays a crucial role in parenting as it involves the ability to perceive and respond appropriately to children’s signals. Childhood maltreatment and depression can negatively impact adults’ ability to recognize emotions, but it is unclear which of these factors has a greater impact or how they interact. This knowledge is central to developing efficient, targeted interventions. This paper examines the interaction between parents’ depressive symptoms and childhood maltreatment and its influence on their ability to recognize the five basic emotions (happiness, anger, sadness, fear, and disgust) in children’s faces. Method: The sample consisted of 52 parents. Depressive symptoms were measured by the depression subscale of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18), and maltreatment history was assessed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Children’s emotional stimuli were morphed images created using The Child Affective Facial Expression (CAFE) database. Results: Our findings indicate that depressive symptoms moderate the relationship between parents’ history of childhood maltreatment and emotion recognition skills. Parents with higher depressive symptoms had lower emotion recognition accuracy when they had not experienced maltreatment. When childhood maltreatment was severe, emotion recognition skills were more consistent across all levels of depression. The relationship between depression and emotion recognition was primarily linked to recognizing sadness in children’s faces. Conclusion: These findings highlight how different experiences can affect parental abilities in emotion recognition and emphasize the need for interventions tailored to individual profiles to improve their effectiveness. Copyright © 2024 Bérubé, Pétrin and Blais.
9.
Pétrin, R.; Bérubé, A.; St-Pierre, É.; Blais, C.
Maternal childhood emotional abuse increases cardiovascular responses to children’s emotional facial expressions Journal Article
In: PLoS ONE, vol. 19, no. 5 May, 2024, ISSN: 19326203 (ISSN), (Publisher: Public Library of Science).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, alcohol consumption, analysis of variance, article, blood pressure, cardiovascular response, Child, Child Abuse, Childhood, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, demographics, electrocardiogram, Electrocardiography, emotion, Emotional Abuse, Emotions, Ethnicity, Facial Expression, female, Heart Rate, heart rate variability, human, human experiment, Humans, Likert scale, male, mother, mother child relation, Mother-Child Relations, Mothers, parasympathetic tone, physical activity, physiology, post hoc analysis, psychology, questionnaire, sexual abuse, Surveys and Questionnaires
@article{petrin_maternal_2024,
title = {Maternal childhood emotional abuse increases cardiovascular responses to children’s emotional facial expressions},
author = {R. Pétrin and A. Bérubé and É. St-Pierre and C. Blais},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85192637581&doi=10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0302782&partnerID=40&md5=c464b30fe7cc5b7b0baaf865fdf1f6de},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0302782},
issn = {19326203 (ISSN)},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
journal = {PLoS ONE},
volume = {19},
number = {5 May},
publisher = {Public Library of Science},
abstract = {Parents with a history of childhood maltreatment may be more likely to respond inadequately to their child’s emotional cues, such as crying or screaming, due to previous exposure to prolonged stress. While studies have investigated parents’ physiological reactions to their children’s vocal expressions of emotions, less attention has been given to their responses when perceiving children’s facial expressions of emotions. The present study aimed to determine if viewing facial expressions of emotions in children induces cardiovascular changes in mothers (hypo- or hyper-arousal) and whether these differ as a function of childhood maltreatment. A total of 104 mothers took part in this study. Their experiences of childhood maltreatment were measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Participants’ electrocardiogram signals were recorded during a task in which they viewed a landscape video (baseline) and images of children’s faces expressing different intensities of emotion. Heart rate variability (HRV) was extracted from the recordings as an indicator of parasympathetic reactivity. Participants presented two profiles: one group of mothers had a decreased HRV when presented with images of children’s facial expressions of emotions, while the other group’s HRV increased. However, HRV change was not significantly different between the two groups. The interaction between HRV groups and the severity of maltreatment experienced was marginal. Results suggested that experiences of childhood emotional abuse were more common in mothers whose HRV increased during the task. Therefore, more severe childhood experiences of emotional abuse could be associated with mothers’ cardiovascular hyperreactivity. Maladaptive cardiovascular responses could have a ripple effect, influencing how mothers react to their children’s facial expressions of emotions. That reaction could affect the quality of their interaction with their child. Providing interventions that help parents regulate their physiological and behavioral responses to stress might be helpful, especially if they have experienced childhood maltreatment. © 2024 Public Library of Science. All rights reserved.},
note = {Publisher: Public Library of Science},
keywords = {adult, alcohol consumption, analysis of variance, article, blood pressure, cardiovascular response, Child, Child Abuse, Childhood, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, demographics, electrocardiogram, Electrocardiography, emotion, Emotional Abuse, Emotions, Ethnicity, Facial Expression, female, Heart Rate, heart rate variability, human, human experiment, Humans, Likert scale, male, mother, mother child relation, Mother-Child Relations, Mothers, parasympathetic tone, physical activity, physiology, post hoc analysis, psychology, questionnaire, sexual abuse, Surveys and Questionnaires},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Parents with a history of childhood maltreatment may be more likely to respond inadequately to their child’s emotional cues, such as crying or screaming, due to previous exposure to prolonged stress. While studies have investigated parents’ physiological reactions to their children’s vocal expressions of emotions, less attention has been given to their responses when perceiving children’s facial expressions of emotions. The present study aimed to determine if viewing facial expressions of emotions in children induces cardiovascular changes in mothers (hypo- or hyper-arousal) and whether these differ as a function of childhood maltreatment. A total of 104 mothers took part in this study. Their experiences of childhood maltreatment were measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Participants’ electrocardiogram signals were recorded during a task in which they viewed a landscape video (baseline) and images of children’s faces expressing different intensities of emotion. Heart rate variability (HRV) was extracted from the recordings as an indicator of parasympathetic reactivity. Participants presented two profiles: one group of mothers had a decreased HRV when presented with images of children’s facial expressions of emotions, while the other group’s HRV increased. However, HRV change was not significantly different between the two groups. The interaction between HRV groups and the severity of maltreatment experienced was marginal. Results suggested that experiences of childhood emotional abuse were more common in mothers whose HRV increased during the task. Therefore, more severe childhood experiences of emotional abuse could be associated with mothers’ cardiovascular hyperreactivity. Maladaptive cardiovascular responses could have a ripple effect, influencing how mothers react to their children’s facial expressions of emotions. That reaction could affect the quality of their interaction with their child. Providing interventions that help parents regulate their physiological and behavioral responses to stress might be helpful, especially if they have experienced childhood maltreatment. © 2024 Public Library of Science. All rights reserved.
10.
Bérubé, A.; Pétrin, R.; Blais, C.
Parental depression moderates the relationship between childhood maltreatment and the recognition of children expressions of emotions Journal Article
In: Frontiers in Psychiatry, vol. 15, 2024, ISSN: 16640640 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, anger, article, Beck Depression Inventory, Child, Child Abuse, child parent relation, childhood maltreatment, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Depression, disease severity, disgust, educational status, emotion, Emotion Recognition, Facial Expression, female, happiness, human, income, major clinical study, male, parent-child relationship, parental sensitivity, preschool child, questionnaire, recognition, sadness
@article{berubeParentalDepressionModerates2024,
title = {Parental depression moderates the relationship between childhood maltreatment and the recognition of children expressions of emotions},
author = {A. Bérubé and R. Pétrin and C. Blais},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85196266525&doi=10.3389%2ffpsyt.2024.1374872&partnerID=40&md5=ce03a1c39e709fc0f2c773d4f82f3a10},
doi = {10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1374872},
issn = {16640640 (ISSN)},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
journal = {Frontiers in Psychiatry},
volume = {15},
publisher = {Frontiers Media SA},
abstract = {Background: Sensitivity plays a crucial role in parenting as it involves the ability to perceive and respond appropriately to children’s signals. Childhood maltreatment and depression can negatively impact adults’ ability to recognize emotions, but it is unclear which of these factors has a greater impact or how they interact. This knowledge is central to developing efficient, targeted interventions. This paper examines the interaction between parents’ depressive symptoms and childhood maltreatment and its influence on their ability to recognize the five basic emotions (happiness, anger, sadness, fear, and disgust) in children’s faces. Method: The sample consisted of 52 parents. Depressive symptoms were measured by the depression subscale of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18), and maltreatment history was assessed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Children’s emotional stimuli were morphed images created using The Child Affective Facial Expression (CAFE) database. Results: Our findings indicate that depressive symptoms moderate the relationship between parents’ history of childhood maltreatment and emotion recognition skills. Parents with higher depressive symptoms had lower emotion recognition accuracy when they had not experienced maltreatment. When childhood maltreatment was severe, emotion recognition skills were more consistent across all levels of depression. The relationship between depression and emotion recognition was primarily linked to recognizing sadness in children’s faces. Conclusion: These findings highlight how different experiences can affect parental abilities in emotion recognition and emphasize the need for interventions tailored to individual profiles to improve their effectiveness. Copyright © 2024 Bérubé, Pétrin and Blais.},
keywords = {adult, anger, article, Beck Depression Inventory, Child, Child Abuse, child parent relation, childhood maltreatment, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Depression, disease severity, disgust, educational status, emotion, Emotion Recognition, Facial Expression, female, happiness, human, income, major clinical study, male, parent-child relationship, parental sensitivity, preschool child, questionnaire, recognition, sadness},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Background: Sensitivity plays a crucial role in parenting as it involves the ability to perceive and respond appropriately to children’s signals. Childhood maltreatment and depression can negatively impact adults’ ability to recognize emotions, but it is unclear which of these factors has a greater impact or how they interact. This knowledge is central to developing efficient, targeted interventions. This paper examines the interaction between parents’ depressive symptoms and childhood maltreatment and its influence on their ability to recognize the five basic emotions (happiness, anger, sadness, fear, and disgust) in children’s faces. Method: The sample consisted of 52 parents. Depressive symptoms were measured by the depression subscale of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18), and maltreatment history was assessed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Children’s emotional stimuli were morphed images created using The Child Affective Facial Expression (CAFE) database. Results: Our findings indicate that depressive symptoms moderate the relationship between parents’ history of childhood maltreatment and emotion recognition skills. Parents with higher depressive symptoms had lower emotion recognition accuracy when they had not experienced maltreatment. When childhood maltreatment was severe, emotion recognition skills were more consistent across all levels of depression. The relationship between depression and emotion recognition was primarily linked to recognizing sadness in children’s faces. Conclusion: These findings highlight how different experiences can affect parental abilities in emotion recognition and emphasize the need for interventions tailored to individual profiles to improve their effectiveness. Copyright © 2024 Bérubé, Pétrin and Blais.