2-170 - Intergenerational Transmission of Child Maltreatment: New Insights from Multigenerational Studies and Meta-Analyses

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

In this symposium four studies implement novel approaches to examining and elucidating processes of intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment. The papers, with authors from Europe, Canada, and the United States, include meta-analyses and multigenerational studies examining the intergenerational transmission of different types of maltreatment and related processes that may explain this transmission.

The first paper presents meta-analytic data synthesizing the current body of literature. It shows that experienced maltreatment increases the risk of perpetrating maltreatment, but effect sizes are generally small. In addition, it examines specific moderators that may influence these effects. The second study present possible mechanisms of transmission and examines whether emotion recognition and emotional support can explain continuities in emotional and physical abuse and neglect from one generation to the next. The third paper reports on consequences of sexual abuse for victims and their children and shows that mothers who were sexually abused in childhood do not necessarily sexually abuse their own children, but rather recreate environments in which different types of maltreatment can persist across generations. The fourth paper addresses the intergenerational transmission of attachment in a maltreated sample, which is a central construct in our understanding of the intergenerational transmission of maltreatment.

Together, these studies give an extensive overview of the current literature and enhance our understanding of the mechanisms that may be responsible for explaining how maltreatment is passed along from one generation to the next. These studies have important implications for preventative and intervention efforts aimed at breaking the intergenerational cycle of maltreatment.

Sub Unit

• Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Chair

• Lenneke Alink, Leiden University

Individual Presentations

• Testing the Cycle of Maltreatment Hypothesis: Meta-Analytic Evidence of the Intergenerational Transmission of Child Maltreatment - Presenting Author: Sheri Madigan, University of Calgary; Anh Ly, University of Calgary; Julia Poole, University of Calgary; Christina Rash, University of Calgary; Elena Buliga, University of Calgary; Chantal Cyr, Université du Québec à Montréal; Lenneke Alink, Leiden University

• The Intergenerational Transmission of Maltreatment: The Roles of Emotion Recognition and Emotional Support - Presenting Author: Lenneke Alink, Leiden University; Laura Compier-de Block, Leiden University; Renate Buisman, Leiden University; Mariëlle Linting, Leiden University, Centre for Child and Family Science; Lisa van den Berg, Leiden University; Alexandra Voorthuis, Leiden University; Marieke Tollenaar, Leiden University; Katharina Pittner, Leiden University; Bernet Elzinga, Leiden University; Marinus Van IJzendoorn, Leiden University; Marian Bakermans-Kranenburg, Leiden University

• Cycle of Sorrow: The Burden Borne by Offspring of Mothers who Experienced Childhood Sexual Abuse - Presenting Author: Jennie G Noll, The Pennsylvania State University

• Transmission of Attachment in a Sample of Maltreated Children and Their Parents: The Cumulative Effect of Trauma and Insensitivity - Presenting Author: Chantal Cyr, Université du Québec à Montréal; Karine Dubois-Comtois, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières; George M. Tarabulsy, Laval University; Diane St-Laurent, Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres; Annie Bernier, University of Montreal; Ellen Moss, Université du Québec à Montréal