Intergenerational Transmission of Posttraumatic Orientation to Bodily Signals Following Child Maltreatment

Recent studies have indicated that CM (child maltreatment) may influence individuals' perception of their bodies, often resulting in a posttraumatic orientation to bodily signals (OBS). Given the intricate relationship between bodily and interpersonal experiences, it is hypothesized that posttraumatic OBS may be intergenerationally transmitted. However, knowledge regarding this phenomenon, and its underlying mechanisms, remains limited. Two studies tested (a) the link between CM and posttraumatic OBS, mediated by posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and attachment security, and (b) the intergenerational transmission of a posttraumatic OBS following CM among dyads of parents and their young adult offspring. The first study included 445 young adults (mean age = 352, SD = 10.2), and the second study included 393 dyads (parents' mean age = 58, SD = 5.91; offspring's mean age = 27, SD = 3.91). The participants completed self-reported questionnaires. Study 1 found that posttraumatic OBS was associated with CM, through the mediation of PTS symptoms (indirect effect = 0.15, p = .005), and insecure attachment (indirect effects between 0.132 and 1.44, p < .006). The second study found two pathways of intergenerational transmission. The first pathway showed indirect paths between parents' CM exposure and offspring's posttraumatic OBS, through parents' reaction to CM (PTS symptoms, anxious attachment, and avoidant attachment) and posttraumatic OBS (indirect effects between 0.006 and 0.013, p < .039). The second pathway revealed indirect links between parents' CM exposure and offspring's posttraumatic OBS, through parents' and offspring's reaction to CM (indirect effects between 0.006 and 0.56, p < .015). The study's findings add empirical evidence that posttraumatic OBS is a significant implication of CM. The second study illuminates the intergenerational transmission of a posttraumatic OBS following parental CM exposure, uncovering PTS symptoms, and insecure attachment styles as potential underlying mechanisms.