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Although the concept of a cycle of violence presumes that the transmission of violence is expressed directly across generations, the role of the overall quality of the parent-child relationship may ultimately be more influential in later parenting behavior. This study investigated whether mothers' poorer attachment to their parents was associated with their current increased child abuse potential and dysfunctional disciplinary style independent of a personal history of child abuse. A sample of 73 at-risk mothers raising children with behavior problems reported on their parental attachment, abuse potential, dysfunctional parenting style, and personal abuse history. An at-risk sample, rather than a sample of identified abuse victims or perpetrators, was studied to better examine the potential continuity or discontinuity from history of abuse to current abuse risk, allowing consideration of those who may break the cycle versus those who potentially initiate abuse in the absence of a personal history. Findings indicate that poor attachment significantly predicted both dysfunctional parenting practices and elevated child abuse potential, controlling for personal child abuse history. Such results highlight the importance of the overall quality of the relationship between the parent and child in potentially shaping future abuse risk. Findings are discussed in terms of continuity or discontinuity in the cycle of violence and future directions for research on attachment in relation to the development of later child abuse risk.
Keywords: child maltreatment; physical abuse; child abuse potential; cycle of violence; family support; attachment
One of the most frequently cited factors in fueling a parent's likelihood to physically abuse a child derives from the parent's personal childhood history of abuse and harsh discipline. For decades, there was widespread acceptance of the classic phenomenon referred to as the intergenerational transmission of violence hypothesis (Curtis, 1963; Oliver & Taylor, 1971; Silver, Dublin, & Lourie, 1969), predicated on social learning theories (Bandura, 1973). Although this belief in an intergenerational transmission of abuse permeates lay and professional circles alike, researchers have long cautioned of insufficient support for an immutable cycle of violence claim (e.g., Kaufman & Zigler, 1987; Widom, 1989). Physical abuse as a child and becoming physically abusive as a parent is no longer accepted as a necessary or sufficient condition (Ertem, Leventhal, & Dobbs, 2000; Scannapieco & Connell-Carrick, 2005) given that the majority...