Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Intergenerational Transmission of Childhood Maltreatment Mediated by Maternal Emotion Dysregulation

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Child and Family Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The identification of intermediate mechanisms that account for the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment can elucidate processes of risk and resilience in families. This study investigated the role of maternal emotion dysregulation; we hypothesized that emotion dysregulation would mediate the relation between mothers’ history of maltreatment in their childhood and their aggressive behavior toward their children. Participants included 110 mothers (range = 20 to 43 years, Mage = 30.81, SDage = 6.08) with preschool-aged children (range = 3 to 5 years, Mage = 3.50, SDage = 0.51; 61% male) in a diverse community sample (46.3% African American; 50.9% had a household income under $30,000). A path analysis showed that maternal history of maltreatment in their childhood was indirectly related to later maternal psychological aggression via maternal emotion dysregulation. The indirect effect of child maltreatment on physical aggression was not statistically significant. Our findings highlight the importance of emotion regulation as a transdiagnostic risk factor for the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment.

Highlights

  • We tested emotion dysregulation as a mediator between mothers’ maltreatment history and child-directed aggressive behavior.

  • Mothers’ own maltreatment history was associated with greater emotion dysregulation.

  • Maternal emotion dysregulation was associated with greater psychological aggression, but not physical aggression.

  • Emotion dysregulation mediated the association between mothers’ maltreatment history and child-directed aggressive behavior for psychological aggression, but not physical aggression.

  • Emotion regulation may be an important mechanism for the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Wang, X. (in press). Intergenerational effects of childhood maltreatment: the roles of parents’ emotion regulation and mentalization. Child Abuse & Neglect, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.104940

  • Ajilian Abbasi, M., Saeidi, M., Khademi, G., Hoseini, B. L., & Emami Moghadam, Z. (2015). Child maltreatment in the world: a review article. International Journal of Pediatrics, 3(1.1), 353–365.

    Google Scholar 

  • Asparouhov, T., & Muthen, B. (2010, September 29). Multiple Imputation with Mplus. Retrieved October 17, 2019, from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.570.9342&rep=rep1&type=pdf

  • Bailey, H. N., DeOliveira, C. A., Wolfe, V. V., Evans, E. M., & Hartwick, C. (2012). The impact of childhood maltreatment history on parenting: a comparison of maltreatment types and assessment methods. Child Abuse & Neglect, 36(3), 236–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bardeen, J. R., Fergus, T. A., Hannan, S. M., & Orcutt, H. K. (2016). Addressing psychometric limitations of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale through item modification. Journal of Personality Assessment, 98(3), 298–309.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ben-Porath, D. D. (2010). Dialectical Behavior Therapy applied to parent skills training: adjunctive treatment for parents with difficulties in affect regulation. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 17(4), 458–465.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berlin, L. J., Appleyard, K., & Dodge, K. A. (2011). Intergenerational continuity in child maltreatment: mediating mechanisms and implications for prevention. Child Development, 82(1), 162–176.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Bernstein, D. P., Ahluvalia, T., Pogge, D., & Handelsman, L. (1997). Validity of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire in an adolescent psychiatric population. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36(3), 340–348.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carvalho Fernando, S., Beblo, T., Schlosser, N., Terfehr, K., Otte, C., Lowe, B., & Wingenfeld, K. (2014). The impact of self-reported childhood trauma on emotion regulation in borderline personality disorder and major depression. Journal of Trauma and Dissociation, 15(4), 384–401.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crandall, A., Deater-Deckard, K., & Riley, A. W. (2015). Maternal emotion and cognitive control capacities and parenting: a conceptual framework. Developmental Review, 36, 105–126.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dixon, L., Browne, K., & Hamilton‐Giachritsis, C. (2005). Risk factors of parents abused as children: a mediational analysis of the intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment (Part I). Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 46(1), 47–57.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Duncan, L. G., Coatsworth, J. D., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). A model of mindful parenting: implications for parent-child relationships and prevention research. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 12(3), 255–270.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Dutton, D. G., & Hemphill, K. J. (1992). Patterns of socially desirable responding among perpetrators and victims of wife assault. Violence and Victims, 7(1), 29–39.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dvir, Y., Ford, J. D., Hill, M., & Frazier, J. A. (2014). Childhood maltreatment, emotional dysregulation, and psychiatric comorbidities. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 22(3), 149–161.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Egeland, B., Jacobvitz, D., & Sroufe, L. A. (1988). Breaking the cycle of abuse. Child Development, 59, 1080–1088.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ertem, I. O., Leventhal, J. M., & Dobbs, S. (2000). Intergenerational continuity of child physical abuse: How good is the evidence? The Lancet, 356(9232), 814–819.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Finkelhor, D., Turner, H. A., Shattuck, A., & Hamby, S. L. (2015). Prevalence of childhood exposure to violence, crime, and abuse: results from the national survey of children’s exposure to violence. JAMA Pediatrics, 169(8), 746–754.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gratz, K., & Roemer, L. (2004). Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation: Development, factor structure, and initial validation of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 26(1), 41–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gross, J. J. (Ed.). (2013). Handbook of emotion regulation. New York: Guilford.

  • Herbell, K., & Bloom, T. (2020). A qualitative metasynthesis of mothers’ adverse childhood experiences and parenting practices. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 34, 409–417.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, J., & Cicchetti, D. (2010). Longitudinal pathways linking child maltreatment, emotion regulation, peer relations, and psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 51(6), 706–716.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • van der Kolk, B. A., & Fisler, R. E. (1994). Childhood abuse and neglect and loss of self-regulation. Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, 58, 145–168.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Krumpal, I. (2013). Determinants of social desirability bias in sensitive surveys: a literature review. Quality & Quantity, 47(4), 2025–2047.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lange, B. C. L., Callinan, L. S., & Smith, M. V. (2019). Adverse childhood experiences and their relation to parenting stress and parenting practices. Community Mental Health Journal, 55, 651–662.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marziali, E., Damianakis, T., & Trocmé, N. (2003). Nature and consequences of personality problems in maltreating caregivers. Families in Society, 84, 530–538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maughan, A., & Cicchetti, D. (2002). Impact of child maltreatment and interadult violence on children’s emotion regulation abilities and socioemotional adjustment. Child Development, 73(5), 1525–1542.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Milaniak, I., & Widom, C. S. (2015). Does child abuse and neglect increase risk for perpetration of violence inside and outside the home? Psychology of Violence, 5(3), 246–255.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muthén, L., & Muthén, B. (2014). Mplus (Version 7.4). Los Angeles, CA.

  • Myers, J. E. B. (2002). The APSAC Handbook on Child Maltreatment: Sage.

  • Norman, R. E., Byambaa, M., De, R., Butchart, A., Scott, J., & Vos, T. (2012). The long-term health consequences of child physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS Medicine, 9(11), e1001349.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Osborne, T. L., Michonski, J., Sayrs, J., Welch, S. S., & Anderson, L. K. (2017). Factor structure of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS) in adult outpatients receiving dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 39(2), 355–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pears, K. C., & Capaldi, D. M. (2001). Intergenerational transmission of abuse: a two-generational prospective study of an at-risk sample. Child Abuse and Neglect, 25(11), 1439–1461.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez, C. M. (2006). Attributional style as a mediator between parental abuse risk and child internalizing symptomatology. Child Maltreatment, 11(2), 121–130.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez, V. J., & Shaffer, A. (2020). Validation of the Regulating Emotions in Parenting Scale (REPS): Factor structure and measurement invariance. Journal of Family Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000808.

  • Rottenberg, J., & Gross, J. J. (2003). When emotion goes wrong: realizing the promise of affective science. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 227–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutherford, H. J., Wallace, N. S., Laurent, H. K., & Mayes, L. C. (2015). Emotion regulation in parenthood. Developmental Review, 36, 1–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sanders, M. R., & Mazzucchelli, T. G. (2013). The promotion of self-regulation through parenting interventions. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 16(1), 1–17.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scaramella, L. V., & Leve, L. D. (2004). Clarifying parent–child reciprocities during early childhood: the early childhood coercion model. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 7(2), 89–107.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shaffer, A., Fitzgerald, M. M., Shipman, K. L., & Torres, M. (2019). Let’s Connect: a developmentally driven emotion-focused parenting intervention. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 63, 33–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaffer, A., & Obradović, J. (2017). Unique contributions of emotion regulation and executive functions in predicting the quality of parent–child interaction behaviors. Journal of Family Psychology, 31(2), 150–159.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shipman, K., Zeman, J., Penza, S., & Champion, K. (2000). Emotion management skills in sexually maltreated and nonmaltreated girls: a developmental psychopathology perspective. Development and Psychopathology, 12(1), 47–62.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, A. L., Cross, D., Winkler, J., Jovanovic, T., & Bradley, B. (2014). Emotional dysregulation and negative affect mediate the relationship between maternal history of child maltreatment and maternal child abuse potential. Journal of Family Violence, 29(5), 483–494.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Straus, M. A., Hamby, S. L., Finkelhor, D., Moore, D. W., & Runyan, D. (1998). Identification of child maltreatment with the Parent–Child Conflict Tactics Scales: development and psychometric data for a national sample of American parents. Child Abuse and Neglect, 22(4), 249–270.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, R. A. (1994). Emotion regulation: a theme in search of definition. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 59, 25–52.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Viola, T. W., Salum, G. A., Kluwe-Schiavon, B., Sanvicente-Vieira, B., Levandowski, M. L., & Grassi-Oliveira, R. (2016). The influence of geographical and economic factors in estimates of childhood abuse and neglect using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire: a worldwide meta-regression analysis. Child Abuse & Neglect, 51, 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wekerle, C., Leung, E., Wall, A. M., MacMillan, H., Boyle, M., Trocme, N., & Waechter, R. (2009). The contribution of childhood emotional abuse to teen dating violence among child protective services-involved youth. Child Abuse & Neglect, 33, 45–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Widom, C. S., Czaja, S. J., & DuMont, K. A. (2015). Intergenerational transmission of child abuse and neglect: real or detection bias? Science, 347(6229), 1480–1485.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the William A. and Barbara R. Owens Institute for Behavioral Research at the University of Georgia; National Institute on Drug Abuse, Grant number: P30 DA027827. VJR’s work on this study was partially supported by a Ford Foundation Fellowship, administered by the National Academies of Science, and a PEO Scholar Award from the PEO Sisterhood. We thank the research personnel who made this study possible, and above all the women and children who participated in this study.

Author Contribution

A.S. and C.S. conceived the study. V.J.R. drafted the manuscript with F.A., A.M., and A.S. All authors assisted in editing and finalizing the manuscript and gave critical review. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, USA

    Violeta J. Rodriguez, Amber Madden, Anne Shaffer & Cynthia Suveg

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, USA

    Violeta J. Rodriguez

  3. Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, USA

    Funlola Are

Authors
  1. Violeta J. Rodriguez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Funlola Are
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Amber Madden
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Anne Shaffer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Cynthia Suveg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Violeta J. Rodriguez.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rodriguez, V.J., Are, F., Madden, A. et al. Intergenerational Transmission of Childhood Maltreatment Mediated by Maternal Emotion Dysregulation. J Child Fam Stud 30, 2068–2075 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02020-3

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02020-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation