Mothers with histories of emotional, physical, or sexual abuse are at higher risk for postpartum depression and "disrupted parenting," which can pass trauma to the next generation.

: Mothers with a history of maltreatment often show specific biases or difficulties in identifying emotions. For example, they may confuse expressions of anger with disgust or have a heightened sensitivity to negative expressions like fear and anger as a survival mechanism. Significance

Emotional neglect may actually lead to an increased sensitivity to anger , while physical neglect is associated with difficulty recognizing happiness .