Mediators of Intergenerational Continuity of Child Maltreatment among Japanese Mothers

Abstract

The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that domestic violence (DV) or mental health symptoms might mediate the intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment among mothers in Japan. A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted among a sample of mothers (N=304) and their children (N=498) in Japan to assess the mothers’ childhood abuse history, DV experiences, and current mental health symptoms, along with their maltreatment behaviors toward their children after moving into Mother-Child Homes, similar to the DV shelters. We found that mental health symptoms, but not DV, mediated the link between childhood abuse history and child maltreatment. Treating mental symptoms, especially dissociated and depressive symptoms, might be the effective way to break the cycle of child maltreatment.