Center for the Study of Family Violence and Sexual Assault, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115-2854, USA.
Child Abuse Negl. 2010 May;34(5):332-44. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2009.09.017. Epub 2010 Mar 31.
Although the intergenerational transmission of family violence has been well documented, the mechanisms responsible for this effect have not been fully determined. The present study examined whether trauma symptoms mediate the relationship between a childhood history of child physical abuse (CPA) and adult CPA risk, and whether any such mediation was similar for women and men.
Female and male US Navy (USN) recruits (N=5,394) and college students (N=716) completed self-report measures of their history of child abuse (i.e., CPA and child sexual abuse [CSA]), exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV), current trauma symptoms, and adult CPA risk.
As expected, there was a strong association between a childhood history of CPA and adult CPA risk. This association was significant even after controlling for demographic variables and childhood exposure to other forms of violence (CSA and IPV), and the strength of the relationship did not vary depending on demographics or exposure to other forms of violence. However, the association between a history of CPA and adult risk of CPA was stronger for individuals high in defensive avoidance compared to those low in defensive avoidance. The association between a history of CPA and adult CPA risk was largely, although not entirely, mediated by psychological trauma symptoms. Mediation was observed for both women and men in both the USN and college samples.
Trauma symptoms associated with a history of CPA accounted for a substantial part of the relationship between a history of CPA and adult CPA risk in both women and men.
To the extent that trauma symptoms are a mechanism by which the intergenerational transmission of child abuse occurs, intervening to reduce trauma symptoms in CPA victims has the potential of reducing their risk of continuing the cycle of violence.
尽管家庭暴力的代际传递已得到充分证实，但导致这种效应的机制尚未完全确定。本研究检验了创伤症状是否在儿童期身体虐待（CPA）史与成人 CPA 风险之间的关系中起中介作用，以及这种中介作用是否对女性和男性都相似。
美国海军（USN）新兵（N=5394）和大学生（N=716）完成了儿童虐待史（即 CPA 和儿童性虐待[CSA]）、亲密伴侣暴力（IPV）暴露、当前创伤症状和成人 CPA 风险的自我报告。
正如预期的那样，儿童期 CPA 史与成人 CPA 风险之间存在很强的关联。即使在控制人口统计学变量和儿童时期暴露于其他形式的暴力（CSA 和 IPV）后，这种关联仍然显著，而且关系的强度不取决于人口统计学或暴露于其他形式的暴力。然而，与防御回避程度低的个体相比，防御回避程度高的个体的 CPA 史与成人 CPA 风险之间的关联更强。CPA 史与成人 CPA 风险之间的关联在很大程度上（尽管不是完全）由心理创伤症状介导。在 USN 和大学样本中，女性和男性都观察到了这种中介作用。
与 CPA 史相关的创伤症状解释了 CPA 史与成人 CPA 风险之间关系的很大一部分，在女性和男性中均如此。
在创伤症状是儿童虐待代际传递机制的程度上，干预以减少 CPA 受害者的创伤症状有可能降低他们继续暴力循环的风险。
