Intergenerational continuity/discontinuity of child maltreatment among low-income mother–child dyads: The roles of childhood maltreatment characteristics, maternal psychological functioning, and family ecology

Abstract

Despite evidence of some intergenerational continuity of maltreatment, a notable proportion of parents maltreated in childhood do not perpetuate the cycle of maltreatment. The aim of this study was to identify factors that would distinguish mother–child dyads where intergenerational continuity was present from dyads characterized by intergenerational discontinuity. The sample included 193 children and their mothers, drawn from two populations: 74 maltreated children recruited through Child Protection Services and 119 nonmaltreated children recruited among low-income families. Factors investigated included maternal childhood maltreatment, psychological functioning, and family ecology. Compared to maltreated mothers who broke the cycle of maltreatment, those who perpetuated the cycle were more likely to have experienced childhood physical neglect and multitype maltreatment, and to experience sociodemographic risk, intimate partner violence, and lack of family support. Compared to nonmaltreated mothers who maintained a nonmaltreating child-rearing environment: (a) maltreated mothers who broke the cycle were more likely to experience residential instability and lack of family support, and (b) nonmaltreated mothers whose child was maltreated were more likely to experience sociodemographic risk and lack of family support. Maternal psychological functioning did not discriminate maltreatment groups. Lending empirical support to a diathesis-stress model of poor parenting, these findings suggest that family-ecology related stress, but not maternal psychological difficulties, may create additional burden that will precipitate the risk of maltreatment intergenerational continuity.

Testing the cycle of maltreatment hypothesis: Meta-analytic evidence of the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment

“…For example, randomized controlled (micro)trials could be implemented in which single possible factors that could break the cycle of maltreatment are systematically manipulated (e.g., by providing couple's therapy or therapy focused on increased emotion understanding) to test whether these factors can decrease the likelihood of passing maltreatment on to the next generation. Future research on continuity and discontinuity may also benefit from a broader approach that includes maintainers (continuity), cycle breakers (discontinuity), and activators (no abuse in G2 → abuse in G3) to further understand, predict, and identify targets for prevention (see St.-Laurent, Dubois-Comtois, Milot, & Cantinotti, 2019).…”

Prenatal Attachment, Parental Confidence, and Mental Health in Expecting Parents: The Role of Childhood Trauma

“…One possibility is that parents who did not develop psychological symptoms even if they were exposed to high doses of adversity during childhood are generally resilient. Most of the participants of our nonclinical community sample are in a common‐law relationship, highly educated, and financially well resourced, 3 demographic factors promoting resilience in the face of adversity and contributing to the discontinuity of intergenerational risk trajectories associated with childhood maltreatment . A second possibility is that this apparent resilience is limited to the prenatal period and that differences between exposed and nonexposed parents emerge only when parents are confronted with the real newborn.…”

“…Most of the participants of our nonclinical commu-nity sample are in a common-law relationship, highly educated, and financially well resourced, 3 demographic factors promoting resilience in the face of adversity and contributing to the discontinuity of intergenerational risk trajectories associated with childhood maltreatment. 48 A second possibility is that this apparent resilience is limited to the prenatal period and that differences between exposed and nonexposed parents emerge only when parents are confronted with the real newborn. Indeed, prenatal attachment may be facilitated by the fact that this emotional investment is directed toward an imagined, and largely idealized, child.…”

Crossing boundaries: A pilot study of maternal attitudes about child maltreatment in nine countries

“…A series of meta-analyses has shown that child maltreatment is a worldwide phenomenon that affects many children across the https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104257 Received 27 April 2019; Received in revised form 21 October 2019; Accepted 29 October 2019 globe (Prevoo, Stoltenborgh, Alink, Bakermans-Kranenburg, & Van IJzendoorn, 2017;Stoltenborgh, Bakermans-Kranenburg, Alink, & Van IJzendoorn, 2015). One major issue in comparing and understanding child maltreatment in different countries is that definitions of maltreatment vary widely between studies, from those adhering to rather strict definitions (e.g., CPS-records;St-Laurent, Dubois-Comtois, Milot, & Cantinotti, 2019)todefinitions including a wider range of behaviors, also including milder parental acts (Windham et al, 2004). An even bigger issue is the fact that even if we would all use the same definition, it is still unclear to what extent the criteria are applicable and valid across different cultural contexts.…”