Parents with children in care--II. Intergenerational continuities.

Intergenerational continuities in parenting problems were studied through a retrospective comparison between families multiply admitted to residential care in one London borough and a comparison group from the same geographical area. The childhoods of the parents differed mostly in the frequency of severe family discord and harsh parenting. When both parents were considered intergenerational continuities looking backward were virtually complete. Possible linking mechanisms involving either effects on personality development or the transmission of social/material disadvantage are discussed.