The Intergenerational Transmission of Substance Use and Child Maltreatment: Mediating Pathways of Parental Victimization and Family Dynamics

Background and Purpose: While the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment is well-documented, the specific structural pathways that bridge substance use, childhood trauma, family stressor and functioning to current parenting outcome remain under-explored. This study examines a complex structural equation model to elucidate how grandparental substance use (G1) influences child maltreatment (G3) through the parent’s (G2) historical developmental trauma and current relational stressors. By integrating childhood maltreatment, spousal control victimization, family functioning, and alcohol use as sequential mediators, we aim to identify the most potent pathways of transmission across three generations.

Methods: This study utilized the 2017 Survey on Life Course Experiences of Children and Families in Korea, which includes a total of 4,008 adults (M = 40.88, SD = 6.25, 51.6% female). To build an analysis model, grandparental substance use was set as an independent variable with spousal control victimization, parent’s childhood maltreatment and family functioning as a first set of mediators, followed by alcohol use and child maltreatment (outcome). The specific direct pathways include 1) Grandparental substance use to parent’s childhood maltreatment, spousal control victimization, and family functioning, 2) Parent’s childhood maltreatment to spousal control victimization, family functioning, alcohol use, and child maltreatment, 3) Spousal control victimization to family functioning, alcohol use, and child maltreatment, 4) Family functioning to alcohol use, and 5) Alcohol use to child maltreatment. The structural equation modelling was performed with maximum likelihood of missing values, and direct, indirect and total effects were estimated.

Results: Grandparental substance use was associated with the increased risk of parent’s childhood maltreatment (β = 0.185, p<.001) and spousal control victimization (β = 0.266, p<.001), while diminishing positive family functioning (β = -0.035, p<.05). Additionally, when parent experienced more childhood maltreatment, the risks of spousal control victimization (β = 0.279, p<.001), alcohol use (β = 0.127, p<.001) and child maltreatment perpetration (β = 0.354, p<.001) increased, while family functioning decreased (β = -0.087, p<.001). For spousal control victimization, it heightened the risk of lower family functioning (β = -0.144, p<.001) and higher child maltreatment perpetration (β = 0.046, p<.01), but no significant association was found with alcohol use. The paths from family functioning to alcohol use, and from alcohol use to child maltreatment were both not significant. Regarding the indirect effects, the results confirmed a significant sequential mediation from grandparental substance use to child maltreatment, primarily through the parent's childhood maltreatment and spousal control victimization. However, the family functioning and alcohol use did not serve as significant proximal mediators leading to the final outcome - child maltreatment.

Conclusions and Implications: These findings suggest that the intergenerational cycle of maltreatment is primarily driven by the parent’s past childhood trauma and their current experience of spousal control victimization. Notably, the insignificant mediating role of alcohol use implies that psychological and relational scarring may be more direct precursors to maltreatment than repeated use of substances across generations. Therefore, the study suggests future interventions to incorporate trauma-informed care and domestic safety screenings in order to effectively break the intergenerational cycle of trauma.