39.1 MOTHERS' MENTAL REPRESENTATIONS OF CHILDREN AND PARENTING STRESS ARE INDEPENDENT MEDIATORS OF MATERNAL VIOLENCE-RELATED SYMPTOMATOLOGY ON CHILDREN'S BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS

Maternal experience of interpersonal violence is associated with increased psychiatric problems, parenting stress, and deleterious effects on child behaviors. A key mediator of the association between maternal psychopathology and child behaviors—maternal mental representations (i.e., maternal attributions of a child’s personality, intentions, and behavior)—is underexamined and an important target of psychotherapeutic intervention.