Early Life Adversity, Depressive Symptoms, Marital Satisfaction, and Chronic Stress : A Moderated Moderation Model

Poor marital satisfaction may exacerbate the association between early life adversity (ELA) and psychological distress, and this effect may be amplified in the context of chronic caregiving stress. The goal of this study was to test whether marital satisfaction moderated the relationship between ELA and depressive symptoms, and whether these associations were moderated by chronic caregiving stress. Method: The sample consisted of 145 mothers in a romantic relationship, caregiving for either an adolescent on the autism spectrum, or a typically developing adolescent. Participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire assessing exposure to trauma and neglect, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale assessing depressive symptoms, and the Relationship Assessment Scale assessing marital satisfaction. Prior work indicates that mothers of adolescents with autism experience greater parenting stress than mothers of typically developing adolescents. Results: Marital satisfaction moderated the association between ELA and depressive symptoms among mothers experiencing chronic parenting stress, but not among mothers of typically developing adolescents. More specifically, the positive association between ELA and depressive symptoms was exacerbated among participants with lower marital satisfaction. These results suggest that poor marital satisfaction, in addition to concurrent chronic stress, may worsen the psychological consequences of ELA. These effects provide a better understanding of interpersonal factors impacting the long-term consequences of ELA on psychological well-being. Longitudinal studies are needed to observe how these associations change or if they remain stable, as a function of time.