A Multidimensional View of Continuity in Intergenerational Transmission of Child Maltreatment

Abstract

While the past several decades of research have established a broad frame for understanding the intergenerational transmission of maltreatment (IGTM), published rates and mechanisms of transmission remain variable. In this chapter, we apply key concepts from the integrative paradigm of developmental psychopathology to inform a new approach to IGTM research that will simultaneously facilitate greater sensitivity and specificity in our understanding of patterns of maltreatment continuity and discontinuity across generations. In particular, we discuss the meaning of heterogeneity in patterns of development over time, as well as in the features of maltreatment. We encourage explicit consideration of specific types of maltreatment, and review extant evidence for IGTM with respect to distinct maltreatment subtypes (i.e., child physical abuse, child sexual abuse, child emotional abuse, child neglect). We highlight the implications of this heightened specificity for clarifying the phenomenology of IGTM and elucidating its etiology. Finally, we present recommendations to refine our terminology, empirical methodology, and clinical practice.