Parental adverse childhood experiences, parenting styles, and stress: a comparison of child psychopathology diagnostic groups
- 1Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
- 2Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Saarland University Hospital, Homburg, Germany
Abstract
BackgroundAdverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with long-term impairments in physical and mental health and may influence the development of the next generation. Although parental ACEs have been linked to parenting difficulties and increased parental stress, their role across child psychiatric disorders remains unclear.MethodsThis cross-sectional observational study examined associations between parental ACEs, parenting style, parental stress, and child psychopathology in a sample of 76 children and adolescents (aged 6–17 years) across three diagnostic groups: ADHD (n = 29), internalizing disorders (n = 32), and functional incontinence (n = 15). Parents completed the ACE-D, EEI, ESF, and CBCL 6–18R.ResultsDescriptively, mothers reported higher mean ACE scores than fathers (1.5 vs. 0.9). Parental ACE scores correlated with child externalizing symptoms (ρ = .386, p < .01) and parental stress (ρ = .257, p < .05), but not with internalizing symptoms. Parenting style differed between groups, with parents of children with ADHD reporting greater strictness than parents of children with internalizing disorders. No direct association between ACE scores and parenting style was found. The overall group difference in parental stress was significant, but no post-hoc group comparison remained significant. Love/appreciation was negatively associated with both symptom dimensions and parental stress. Regression analysis identified externalizing symptoms (β = .454, p < .001) and role restriction (β = .336, p < .01) as significant predictors of parental stress (adjusted R2 = .46). As both, role restriction and parental stress are subscales of one questionnaire, this association may reflect common-method variance.ConclusionParental ACEs are associated with child externalizing symptoms and heightened parental stress, but showed no direct relationship with parenting style, suggesting ACEs operate via different risk factors. In the multiple regression model, parental ACE scores were no longer significantly associated with parental stress once child externalizing symptoms and role restriction were taken into account. These findings underscore the relevance of positive parenting, child externalizing symptoms, and perceived role restriction in understanding parental stress. Routine ACE assessment may identify at-risk families and inform interventions targeting parental stress and positive parent–child relationships.
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BibTeX
@article{pfaff2026parental,
title = {{Parental adverse childhood experiences, parenting styles, and stress: a comparison of child psychopathology diagnostic groups}},
author = {K. Pfaff and K. Pfaff and S. Lion and J. Hussong and H. Honecker-Gebauer and E. Möhler and E. Möhler},
journal = {Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/frcha.2026.1921885},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/frcha.2026.1921885},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Parental adverse childhood experiences, parenting styles, and stress: a comparison of child psychopathology diagnostic groups
AU - K. Pfaff
AU - K. Pfaff
AU - S. Lion
AU - J. Hussong
AU - H. Honecker-Gebauer
AU - E. Möhler
AU - E. Möhler
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
DO - 10.3389/frcha.2026.1921885
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/frcha.2026.1921885
AB - BackgroundAdverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with long-term impairments in physical and mental health and may influence the development of the next generation. Although parental ACEs have been linked to parenting difficulties and increased parental stress, their role across child psychiatric disorders remains unclear.MethodsThis cross-sectional observational study examined associations between parental ACEs, parenting style, parental stress, and child psychopathology in a sample of 76 children and adolescents (aged 6–17 years) across three diagnostic groups: ADHD (n = 29), internalizing disorders (n = 32), and functional incontinence (n = 15). Parents completed the ACE-D, EEI, ESF, and CBCL 6–18R.ResultsDescriptively, mothers reported higher mean ACE scores than fathers (1.5 vs. 0.9). Parental ACE scores correlated with child externalizing symptoms (ρ = .386, p < .01) and parental stress (ρ = .257, p < .05), but not with internalizing symptoms. Parenting style differed between groups, with parents of children with ADHD reporting greater strictness than parents of children with internalizing disorders. No direct association between ACE scores and parenting style was found. The overall group difference in parental stress was significant, but no post-hoc group comparison remained significant. Love/appreciation was negatively associated with both symptom dimensions and parental stress. Regression analysis identified externalizing symptoms (β = .454, p < .001) and role restriction (β = .336, p < .01) as significant predictors of parental stress (adjusted R2 = .46). As both, role restriction and parental stress are subscales of one questionnaire, this association may reflect common-method variance.ConclusionParental ACEs are associated with child externalizing symptoms and heightened parental stress, but showed no direct relationship with parenting style, suggesting ACEs operate via different risk factors. In the multiple regression model, parental ACE scores were no longer significantly associated with parental stress once child externalizing symptoms and role restriction were taken into account. These findings underscore the relevance of positive parenting, child externalizing symptoms, and perceived role restriction in understanding parental stress. Routine ACE assessment may identify at-risk families and inform interventions targeting parental stress and positive parent–child relationships.
SN - 2813-4540
ER -