Intergenerational Transmission of Abuse

Conceptualization

One might think that intergenerational transmission of abuse would be a relatively straightforward concept; however, this is not the case. Children can be direct victims of maltreatment, they can be exposed to interparental violence, or both. As adults, they can maltreat their own children, they can perpetrate or be victimized by partner violence, or both. Maltreatment can be further subdivided into physical, emotional, sexual, and/or neglect subtypes.

In research, the definitions of maltreatment vary widely. Many studies follow children who were substantiated by local Child Protective Services (CPS) as being maltreated. However, state statutes vary widely, as do local CPS' de facto standards for what is substantiated as maltreatment. In studies that rely on self- or parent reports of maltreatment, researchers frequently rely on reports of behaviors (e.g., being struck by a parent) without requiring impact on the victim (e.g., bruises) or extreme danger, as CPS investigations would. Furthermore, victims often experience more than one subtype of abuse (e.g., both physical and emotional), and child and partner maltreatment often co-occur in the same homes. With such variety in what can be and has been examined, interpretation and comparison of abuse research findings is often difficult. This entry is as specific as space will allow; interested readers will find more detailed information in the supplementary readings.

Extent of Transmission

What effect does the presence of violence or abuse in a childhood home (i.e., “family of origin” [FOO]) have on the probability that a particular type of abuse will be present in the adult homes of [Page 876]former victims? The scientific research literature is summarized later, broken down by type of abuse (i.e., physical, emotional, sexual, or neglect). Overall, the effects found have been statistically significant, but only small to medium in size. There is evidence that risk of transmission may increase (a) with frequency or severity of abuse, and/or (b) when exposure to multiple types of abuse has occurred.