Introduction

Methods

Can Childhood Maltreatment Predict Parenting Practices Later in Life?

Mechanisms to Explain Intergenerational Transmission of Maltreatment

Poverty and Structural Disadvantage

Mental Health and Emotion Regulation

Biology of Childhood Abuse From an Early-Life Stress Perspective

Genetic Predispositions and Individual Differences

Epigenetic Embedding of Maltreatment

Epigenetic Inheritance of Maltreatment

Timing of Maltreatment

Methodological Challenges

Discussion

References

Abstract

Parents who experienced maltreatment in childhood may be at an increased risk of presenting abusive or neglectful behavior toward their own children. Research suggests reoccurring patterns of abuse and neglect across generations, but the factors that influence these behavioral patterns are complex and poorly understood. Although abusive or neglectful parenting styles undoubtedly are strongly influenced by social factors (ie, “nurture”), there might be underlying biological components to perpetuating behavioral patterns (ie, “nature”). Importantly, nature and nurture are known to interact in shaping developmental outcomes, and as such should not be considered in isolation. In this review, we examine the evidence regarding the inheritance of abusive and/or neglectful parenting behavior using a transdisciplinary approach. We integrate knowledge of the social and biological science fields on the continuance of abusive and neglectful behavior, as well as the methodological challenges that complicate the interpretation of existing research. Finally, we stress the importance of considering contextual factors of both social and biological research findings concerning the intergenerational inheritance of child abuse and neglect and discuss the potential for early social intervention to disrupt harmful intergenerational patterns.

Introduction

Child maltreatment can have devastating psychological and neurobiological consequences. Major areas in which damage can occur include behavioral and affect regulation, attachment relationships, development of identity and self-esteem, peer relationships, and academic performance and adaptation. Consequences may extend into adulthood and include internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, post-traumatic stress, alcohol abuse, obesity, chronic pain, and sexually transmitted infections, unemployment, poverty, and social assistance usage, as well as impairments in attention, abstract reasoning, working memory, problem-solving, verbal and nonverbal fluency, verbal and nonverbal inhibition, and directed attention. To prevent abuse and neglect and the associated consequences, it is critical to determine all the factors that operate in concert to cause maltreatment. The etiology of child abuse and neglect is generally viewed as complex and multiply determined. Estimates of intergenerational transmission of maltreatment vary widely, underscoring the methodological limitations inherent to studying parenting across generations and the lack of clarity in this field of study (see Table 1). Importantly, existing reviews have only included a focus on either social science research or biological research, and several have given too much weight to methodologically weak studies (see63). The purpose of this article is to review the evidence on the role of childhood maltreatment in predicting later abusive and neglectful behavior in order to identify possible mechanisms and interactions influencing the continuity and discontinuity of harmful parenting practices across generations.