Findings support a significant relationship between exposure to interpersonal trauma and parenting difficulties. Specifically, cumulative maternal trauma was a significant predictor of abuse potential, punitiveness, psychological aggression, and physical discipline. These results are consistent with literature demonstrating that complex trauma is often associated with deficits across a range of life roles. Participants in the three groups reported significantly higher levels of exposure to interpersonal trauma than did those in the control group. There were no differences, however, between the three diagnostic groups in the control group in terms of non-interpersonal trauma exposure. The rationale for separating out these two types of trauma exposure is based on studies that have shown that in comparison to accidents and natural disasters, a history of interpersonal trauma puts individuals at significantly higher risk of developing subsequent psychiatric and interpersonal problems. There are multiple potential reasons for the differential impact of interpersonal trauma, including that it is often a known and trusted individual, tends to involve manipulation or force, and is more likely to engender feelings of betrayal, shame, and guilt. In contrast, events such as a natural disaster or accidents are more often single incidents less likely to be experienced as personal, purposeful violations, and less associated with stigma and blame. When a lifetime diagnosis of substance depressive disorders were significant predictors of child abuse potential, surprisingly, they were not significant predictors of punitiveness, psychological aggression, and physical discipline. A lifetime PTSD diagnosis was not significantly related to its potential, punitiveness, or psychological aggression, but was significantly negatively correlated with physical discipline. Data were collected on 176 urban mothers who were categorized in 4 groups: substance use (41), depressed (40), comorbid (47), and control (48). Participants in the three diagnostic groups reported significantly greater interpersonal trauma exposure than did controls. Tables, references