Estimating the Heritability of Experiencing Child Maltreatment in an Extended Family Design

Abstract

Child-driven genetic factors can contribute to negative parenting and may increase the risk of being maltreated. Experiencing childhood maltreatment may be partly heritable, but results of twin studies are mixed. In the current study, we used a cross-sectional extended family design to estimate genetic and environmental effects on experiencing child maltreatment. The sample consisted of 395 individuals (225 women; M age = 38.85 years, rangeage = 7–88 years) from 63 families with two or three participating generations. Participants were oversampled for experienced maltreatment. Self-reported experienced child maltreatment was measured using a questionnaire assessing physical and emotional abuse, and physical and emotional neglect. All maltreatment phenotypes were partly heritable with percentages for h 2 ranging from 30% ( SE = 13%) for neglect to 62% ( SE = 19%) for severe physical abuse. Common environmental effects ( c 2) explained a statistically significant proportion of variance for all phenotypes except for the experience of severe physical abuse ( c 2 = 9%, SE = 13%, p = .26). The genetic correlation between abuse and neglect was ρg = .73 ( p = .02). Common environmental variance increased as socioeconomic status (SES) decreased ( p = .05), but additive genetic and unique environmental variances were constant across different levels of SES.

Aggregated epigenetic profiles explain the intergenerational transmission of physical neglect with psychiatric, cognitive, and bonding effects.

“…Our ndings contribute to existing evidence linking DNAm pro les to various life adversities in adults (13,19). We also offer additional behavioral evidence for the intergenerational transmission of adverse childhood experiences (5), abusive and neglect behavior (6,52) and the high heritability effects associated with experiencing neglect (53). To our knowledge, this is the rst human cohort study demonstrating that the intergenerational transmission of physical neglect behavior is mediated by the epigenetic load.…”

How Heritable are Parental Sensitivity and Limit‐Setting? A Longitudinal Child‐Based Twin Study on Observed Parenting

“…However, when the same sample was measured during adolescence, abuse and neglect were explained by child‐driven genetic factors, with estimates of 71% and 47%, respectively (Fisher et al, 2015). Pittner et al (2017) used an extended family design to demonstrate that there are child‐driven genetic effects on experienced child maltreatment, but environmental factors also explained a considerable proportion of variance. Moreover, as they argued, although children may elicit negative parenting behavior, parents are responsible for reacting appropriately to their children, even in the case of challenging child behavior.…”

The Association Between Child Maltreatment and Loneliness Across the Lifespan: A Systematic Review and Multilevel Meta-Analysis

“…According to the ecological model of child maltreatment, children's characteristics can increase the risk of maltreatment (Belsky, 1980). Research supports this model by demonstrating that child factors contribute to child maltreatment (Pittner et al, 2020). For example, children's internalizing problems may cause higher levels of parenting stress, which are related to an increased child maltreatment potential (Miragoli et al, 2016).…”