@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}

}

@article{turgeon_recognition_2020,

title = {Recognition of children's emotional facial expressions among mothers reporting a history of childhood maltreatment},

author = {J. Turgeon and A. Berube and C. Blais and A. Lemieux and A. Fournier},

url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85098916379&doi=10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0243083&partnerID=40&md5=2ef477465c0ad75d67b7f13d05f783b2},

doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0243083},

issn = {19326203},

year  = {2020},

date = {2020-01-01},

journal = {PLoS ONE},

volume = {15},

number = {12 December},

publisher = {Public Library of Science},

abstract = {Several studies have shown that child maltreatment is associated with both positive and negative effects on the recognition of facial emotions. Research has provided little evidence of a relation between maltreatment during childhood and young adults' ability to recognize facial displays of emotion in children, an essential skill for a sensitive parental response. In this study, we examined the consequences of different forms of maltreatment experienced in childhood on emotion recognition during parenthood. Participants included sixty-three mothers of children aged 2 to 5 years. Retrospective self-reports of childhood maltreatment were assessed using the short form of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Emotion recognition was measured using a morphed facial emotion identification task of all six basic emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise). A Path Analysis via Structural Equation Model revealed that a history of physical abuse is related to a decreased ability to recognize both fear and sadness in children, whereas emotional abuse and sexual abuse are related to a decreased ability to recognize anger in children. In addition, emotional neglect is associated with an increased ability to recognize anger, whereas physical neglect is associated with less accuracy in recognizing happiness in children's facial emotional expressions. These findings have important clinical implications and expand current understanding of the consequences of childhood maltreatment on parents' ability to detect children's needs. © 2020 Turgeon et al.},

note = {Publisher: Public Library of Science},

keywords = {adult, Adverse Childhood Experiences, anger, article, Child, Child Abuse, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, disgust, emotion, emotional neglect, Emotions, Facial Expression, Facial Recognition, Fear, female, happiness, human, Humans, major clinical study, male, mother, Mothers, parenthood, path analysis, physical abuse, Preschool, preschool child, psychology, recognition, Retrospective Studies, retrospective study, sadness, self report, sexual abuse, structural equation modeling, Young Adult},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}