Little is known about the mechanisms behind the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment (ITCM). The aim of the current study is to investigate if non-adaptive emotion regulation...Show moreLittle is known about the mechanisms behind the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment (ITCM). The aim of the current study is to investigate if non-adaptive emotion regulation strategies (self-blame, blaming another, catastrophizing and rumination) explain the relationship between experienced child maltreatment and perpetrated child maltreatment. Having non-adaptive emotion regulation strategies are being examined as a mechanism because they have been associated with both experienced child maltreatment and perpetrated child maltreatment. Multiple sources were used to obtain information on child maltreatment: mothers, fathers and children. A total of 234 individuals reported on maltreatment and emotion regulation strategies. Four separate mediation analyses were performed to answer the research question. The results showed that that the relationship between experienced child maltreatment and perpetrated child maltreatment was not mediated by non-adaptive emotion regulation strategies. This applies to all four strategies. In conclusion, having non-adaptive emotion regulation strategies does not explain ITCM. The findings contribute to the knowledge about the cycle of child maltreatment and indicate that ITCM might be explained by other mechanisms. An important goal for future research is to explore an interplay of multiple factors, such as emotional dysregulation and psychopathology. Further implications for future research are being made.Show less
