Scoping Review of Intergenerational Posttraumatic Growth In Survivors of Child Abuse and Their Offspring

Background/Purpose: Historically, literature examining the intergenerational effects of trauma have utilized a deficit-focus to shed light on the lasting legacy of various forms of trauma. Less focus has been given to the strengths experienced across generations of trauma survivors. Yet, instances of posttraumatic growth (PTG) have been shown to be passed “vicariously” to others who did not experience the trauma and healing themselves but were exposed to it through a survivor. PTG is defined as the positive psychological changes that occur, often unexpectedly, following a traumatic life experience. It centers how individuals not only survive, but thrive in the aftermath of trauma. While examples of vicarious PTG are growing, less focus has been given to intergenerational PTG that may occur, particularly between caregivers who experienced child abuse and their children. As social work continues to evolve as a profession, actively seeking examples of intergenerational PTG (IPTG) is one strategy that can root future practice and policy in the existing strengths and lessons from community partners. Yet more work is needed to understand this framework. To better understand how IPTG has been demonstrated in multigenerational studies this scoping review was guided by the research question: How is intergenerational posttraumatic growth characterized in offspring raised by parents or caregivers with a child abuse history?

Methods: This scoping review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews and used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews Checklist (PRISMA-ScR). To identify relevant documents the following bibliographic databases (APA PsycInfo; EBSCO Academic Search Premier; ProQuest; and Web of Science) were searched including years between 1990 – 2025. Sources were included if: 1) at least two generations of family members took part in the study; 2) a confirmed child abuse history for the caregiver was found; and 3) at least one strength that occurred within the family was found and discussed.

Results: An initial total of 4,765 titles and abstracts were found, with 938 duplicates removed. A review of 3,827 titles and abstracts were then reviewed, with 109 studies being found eligible for full-text review. A total of 12 studies were included in our final extraction. Variables found to aid in intergenerational PTG include social support, caregiver education, greater reflective functioning in caregivers, and a supportive co-parent. Variables inherited across generations included better mental health outcomes, lower likelihood of experiencing child abuse, a rejection of violent behavior from romantic partners, and a secure attachment.

Conclusion/Implications: These results highlight that caregivers who experienced child abuse can and try to actively break cycles of abuse. Intergenerational posttraumatic growth does, indeed, occur across generations. The low number of studies included in our review highlight the importance of increased focus on the strengths experienced among families. Learning more about the ways families thrive across generations can provide key guidance to policymakers and the practitioners collaborating with various communities.