Breaking the cycle of intergenerational childhood maltreatment: Effects on offspring mental health

• In Event: Effects of maltreatment across the life course and across generations

Abstract

Introduction: Offspring of parents with histories of childhood abuse and neglect (i.e., maltreatment) experience more psychopathology than offspring of non-maltreated parents, and offspring maltreatment has been found to mediate this relationship (Bosquet Enlow et al., 2018). However, the majority of children whose parents experienced childhood maltreatment do not themselves experience maltreatment (Berlin et al., 2011). The present study sought to understand whether such discontinuities in intergenerational maltreatment might protect offspring from elevated levels of psychopathology. Method: Data from a multigenerational prospective study was used to compare the severity of offspring psychopathology between families with no history of maltreatment (controls) and families who break (cycle breakers), initiate (cycle initiators), or maintain (cycle maintainers) the intergenerational cycle of childhood maltreatment. We hypothesized that offspring of cycle breakers and controls would have relatively low, comparable levels of psychopathology in contrast to offspring of cycle maintainers. The sample included 697 offspring between the ages of 8 and 38 years (M = 22.3, SD = 6.3; 50.4% male; 77.3% adults) and their 454 parents (Mage = 47.1, SD = 3.4; 37.9% male). Symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and substance use problems were assessed with age-appropriate questionnaires that minor (under the age of 18) and adult offspring completed. We used confirmatory factor analysis to estimate a latent general psychopathology factor in each age group. We conducted two-way analysis of covariance to test the effects of parental maltreatment and offspring maltreatment on the latent psychopathology factor, controlling for demographic characteristics. Results: Offspring who experienced childhood maltreatment reported higher levels of psychopathology than offspring without maltreatment (minors, F(1,150) = 25.34, p < .001; adults F(1,531) = 19.50, p < .001). Parental childhood maltreatment did not significantly predict offspring psychopathology (minors, F(1,150) = 1.14, p = .287; adults, F(1,531) = 1.09, p = .297). To test the hypothesis that breaking the intergenerational cycle of maltreatment would protect offspring from psychopathology, we conducted a series of planned contrasts. Consistent with our hypothesis, among minors, offspring of cycle breakers reported less psychopathology than offspring of cycle maintainers, F(1,150) = 15.85, p < 0.001, and comparable levels of psychopathology to offspring of controls, F(1,150) = 0.24, p = .628. Among adults, offspring of cycle breakers reported less psychopathology than the offspring of cycle maintainers, F(1,531) = 21.13, p < 0.001 or controls, F(1,531) = 4.53, p = .034. Conclusions: These findings provide further evidence that one’s own childhood maltreatment history is a more salient predictor of psychopathology than parental maltreatment. Furthermore, the results suggest that breaking the intergenerational cycle of maltreatment protects offspring from deleterious mental health outcomes associated with abuse and neglect. The findings highlight the need for research that identifies conditions or individual characteristics that increase the probability that a person will break the cycle of maltreatment and the need for effective maltreatment prevention programs.

Authors

• Samiha Islam, University of Pennsylvania
  Presenting Author

• Sara R Jaffee, University of Pennsylvania
  Non-Presenting Author

• Cathy Spatz Widom, John Jay College
  Non-Presenting Author