Although previous studies have furthered our broad ability to predict child maltreatment potential, young children remain at the highest risk for experiencing maltreatment. Thus, several variables of relevance for this population were examined. A national community sample of 158 mothers with young children between ages 1.5 and 5 years rated their young children’s temperament as well as their own temperament, emotion regulation, stress, coping, and child maltreatment potential. Young children’s mood quality as well as mothers’ mood quality, flexibility/rigidity, emotion dysregulation, parenting stress, cumulated severity of stress, and emotion-focused coping added unique incremental variance to the prediction of child maltreatment potential, accounting for 67% of the variance overall. Further, mothers’ emotion dysregulation mediated the relationship between mothers’ flexibility/rigidity and child maltreatment potential. Consequently, emotion regulation skills represent an important point of intervention for mothers of young children who are at increased risk for child maltreatment due to difficult temperament characteristics.

Given that young children of mothers with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) exhibit increased risk for maladaptive outcomes (including being maltreated by their caregivers), this study investigated a comprehensive model for predicting children’s emotional and behavioral problems in the context of mothers’ ACEs. A community sample of 146 mothers with children aged one and onehalf to five years provided ratings of their ACEs, depressive symptoms, parenting characteristics, mother–young child attachment, and young children’s internalizing and externalizing problems. Mothers’ ACEs and depressive symptoms predicted uniquely young children’s internalizing problems. In contrast, mothers’ ACEs, depressive symptoms, and punitive parenting behaviors predicted uniquely young children’s externalizing problems. These results suggested the importance of trauma-informed interventions for high-risk mothers who may be involved with child welfare systems and for their young children who are likely to exhibit emotional and behavioral problems as child custody decisions are made.

Although bipolar disorder historically was thought to only occur rarely in children and adolescents, there has been a significant increase in children and adolescents who are receiving this diagnosis more recently (Carlson, 2005). Nonetheless, the applicability of the current bipolar disorder diagnostic criteria for children, particularly preschool children, remains unclear, even though much work has been focused on this area. As a result, more work needs to be done to further the understanding of bipolar symptoms in children. It is hoped that this paper can assist psychologists and other health service providers in gleaning a snapshot of the literature in this area so that they can gain an understanding of the diagnostic criteria and other behaviors that may be relevant and be informed about potential approaches for assessment and treatment with children who meet bipolar disorder criteria. First, the history of bipolar symptoms and current diagnostic criteria will be discussed. Next, assessment strategies that may prove helpful for identifying bipolar disorder will be discussed. Then, treatments that may have relevance to children and their families will be discussed. Finally, conclusions regarding work with children who may have a bipolar disorder diagnosis will be offered.