The transmission of child abuse

Abstract

This paper is about patterns of intergenerational child maltreatment and the mechanisms involved in perpetuating these patterns. It is based on an international review of the literature. One of the most enduring theories in the study of family violence is that children who have been maltreated can in turn become maltreating parents. This pattern has become known as the ‘cycle ot abuse’. This paper demonstrates that there is not just one cycle, but at least four separate cycles that operate both within and outside the family. The four cycles are cultural, socio-political, psychological and biological. The central message of this paper is that if we want to reduce the overall levels of child maltreatment, we need to unwind the separate cycles and focus interventions on the different mechanisms operating in each cycle.