Abstract
Objectives
To review the empirical evidence of a potential association between parental trauma and parental child abuse.
Methods
Following PRISMA guidelines, 4645 publications were identified through a systematic search in PubMed, PsycINFO and Cochrane. The final number of publications included was 15.
Results
The prevalence of child abuse was found to be consistently higher in populations exposed to traumatic events (prevalence range 36.0–97.5%) compared with non-exposed groups. Parents exposed to trauma were more likely to abuse their children in all studies, and trauma severity, including a PTSD diagnosis in parents, was associated with perpetration of child abuse in most studies. Such associations appeared to be independent of the type of traumatic event. The findings underscore that trauma does not only affect the individual, but also the family.
Conclusions
Parental trauma seems to be associated with perpetration of child abuse within the family. Abusive behavior against children could be a potential trauma reaction, which should be considered in preventive strategies aimed at reducing harm in traumatized families.
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Appendix 1
Appendix 1
The search strategies for the databases were as follows:
The PubMed search strategy was based on: (Refugees [MeSH Terms] OR emigration and immigration [MeSH Terms] OR emigrants and immigrants [MeSH Terms] OR prisoners of war [MeSH Terms] OR veterans OR stress disorders, post traumatic [MeSH Terms] OR stress disorder, traumatic [MeSH Terms] OR psychological trauma [MeSH Terms]) AND (domestic violence [MeSH Terms] OR child abuse [MeSH Terms]), whereas the PsycINFO search strategy was based on: (su[political asylum] OR su[emotional trauma OR refugees] OR su[seeking asylum OR posttraumatic stress disorder] OR su[post-traumatic stress OR immigration] OR su[prisoners of war OR military veterans] OR su[human migration] AND (su[domestic violence] OR su[child abuse]), applying the following limitations: only publications published in English, Danish, Swedish or Norwegian, and for the PsycINFO search, the publications additionally had to concern children aged 0-18 years. The Cochrane search strategy was based on: (domestic violence OR child abuse OR child maltreatment), and no language or age limit restrictions were applied.
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Montgomery, E., Just-Østergaard, E. & Jervelund, S.S. Transmitting trauma: a systematic review of the risk of child abuse perpetrated by parents exposed to traumatic events. Int J Public Health 64, 241–251 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-018-1185-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-018-1185-4