Predictors of parental physical abuse: the contribution of internalizing and externalizing disorders and childhood experiences of abuse.

BACKGROUND: The deleterious effects of childhood abuse have been a focus of much research; however, the causes of parental physical abuse are less well documented. Research with clinical samples suggests that individuals who display abusive behaviors are more likely to have a history of childhood abuse and higher rates of internalizing and externalizing disorders. Whether childhood abuse and psychopathology contribute independently to parental abusive behaviors or if the association between childhood abuse and the parental physical abuse is mediated by the individual's psychopathology has not been studied empirically.
METHODS: The current study is based on data from a representative sample (N=4141). Lifetime psychiatric diagnoses, childhood experiences of sexual and physical abuse, and physically abusive behaviors exhibited towards children were assessed.
RESULTS: Internalizing and externalizing disorders partially mediated the association between childhood abuse and parental abuse. Nonetheless, the participant's internalizing disorders, externalizing disorders, and previous experiences of childhood abuse each independently predicted parental abuse. Further, the influence of childhood abuse was greater for women than men. LIMITATIONS: The data is cross-sectional, thus clear conclusions regarding causality cannot be made.
CONCLUSIONS: There are multiple pathways in the etiology of parental abusive behaviors. Previous experiences of childhood abuse, internalizing disorders, and externalizing disorders each contribute to parental abuse. Individuals with psychiatric disorders or a history of childhood abuse are at an increased risk for abusive behaviors towards children in their care. Identifying such high-risk parents and providing parent training programs may be effective in lowering rates of child abuse.