Trauma transmission among parent survivors of cumulative childhood interpersonal trauma: The protective role of partner support.

BACKGROUND

The intergenerational transmission of cumulative childhood interpersonal trauma (CCIT) is well established. While the protective role of relational factors, including partner support, is well recognized, few studies examined this question using dyadic designs, representing an important gap in the literature.

OBJECTIVE

This study tested whether provided and received partner support (i.e., the support one provides to their partner and the support one receives from their partner) moderated the association between parents' CCIT and their own and their partner's child abuse potential (CAP).

PARTICIPANTS AND

SETTING

Participants were 607 heterosexual couples (N = 1214 parents) of toddlers recruited from a community-based longitudinal study in Canada.

METHODS

Parents completed validated self-report measures of CCIT, partner support, and CAP. Analyses were conducted using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM), accounting for non-independence of dyadic data and controlling for stressful life events.

RESULTS

Parents' CCIT was positively associated with their own CAP (β = 0.178, p < .001). Received partner support was negatively associated with CAP (β = -0.288, p < .001) and moderated the CCIT-CAP link both within (β = -0.094, p = .008) and across partners (β = -0.075, p = .026). The association between CCIT and CAP became nonsignificant at high levels of received support. The final model explained 30% of CAP variance and fit the data well.

CONCLUSIONS

Supportive couple dynamics mitigate the intergenerational transmission of trauma. Enhancing perceived partner support represents a promising avenue for preventing child maltreatment among trauma-exposed parents.