Intertwining of intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment and attachment

Extant literature indicates that childhood maltreatment (CM) is associated with adverse intergenerational outcomes, including a heightened risk of CM exposure in the next generation. Research findings also suggest that attachment may play a central role in this phenomenon.

To examine whether the intergenerational cycles of CM and insecure and disorganized attachment coexist, the current study aimed to investigate: 1) whether parents' attachment mediates the association between severity of parental CM history and child exposure to maltreatment; 2) whether children's CM exposure mediates the association between parental CM history and child attachment.

Participants were 79 mother-child dyads (32 girls, 47 boys, M_age = 5.31 years): 29 dyads followed by child protection services (CPS) and 50 dyads from a community sample.

Mothers responded to the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and the Attachment Multiple Model Interview. Children completed the Attachment Story Completion Task.

Maternal CM exposure was associated with (i) children's CM exposure through maternal attachment insecurity and disorganization (β = 0.18, 95% bootstrap CI [0.05, 0.31]) and (ii) child attachment insecurity and disorganization through children's CM exposure (β = 0.16, 95% bootstrap CI [0.07, 0.28).

These findings provide preliminary evidence for a possible intertwining of intergenerational cycles of CM and insecure and disorganized attachment, highlighting the complex nature of these processes. They emphasize the need for trauma-informed child protection practice with children, but also parents, who have often themselves been exposed to CM, and highlight the importance of addressing attachment in both generations.