Child Maltreatment in the Zhejiang Province of China: The Role of Parental Aggressive Tendency and a History of Maltreatment in Childhood

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the role of parental aggression and parental childhood maltreatment experience in the maltreatment of children in Zhejiang Province, eastern China. The study sites were two urban and two rural schools. Children aged ten to 16 years and their parents completed separate questionnaires, which included: parental childhood maltreatment; parental aggressive tendency; and maltreatment of children. Questionnaires were completed by 611 parents and 821 children. Fifty‐eight per cent of parents reported maltreatment of their children. Higher parental aggression scores were associated with an increased risk for all types of child maltreatment (relative risk ratios (RRRs) or odds ratios (ORs) ranged from 1.06–1.07 for each point higher on the aggression scale). Parental childhood maltreatment was significantly associated with an increased risk of moderate/severe physical maltreatment of children (OR = 1.80 (1.08, 3.00)); parental aggression was an explanatory factor for this association. Parental childhood maltreatment was positively associated with emotional maltreatment of children (OR = 1.89 (1.27, 2.83)). This was partly explained by parental aggression. In conclusion, high levels of child maltreatment were admitted by parents in China, suggesting the need for parenting education. Parents with a higher aggressive tendency were more likely to maltreat children. Parental aggressive tendency was an explanatory factor for the intergenerational transmission of maltreatment, indicating the possibility of identifying parents' aggressive tendencies for early prevention. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.‘Explore[s] the role of parental aggression and parental childhood maltreatment experience in the maltreatment of children in Zhejiang Province’Key Practitioner Messages Child maltreatment of all types is common in China. What is especially striking is the finding that nearly a fifth of parents admitted to moderate/severe maltreatment of their children. Parents with a higher aggressive tendency were more likely to use all types of maltreatment with their children. Parental aggression was an explanatory factor for the intergenerational transmission of moderate/severe physical maltreatment and emotional maltreatment. ‘Child maltreatment of all types is common in China’