How Does the Mother-Daughter Relationship Explain Patterns of Intergenerational Violence? Findings from a Multigenerational Study in South Africa

Interpersonal violence is a pervasive experience for women and girls in South Africa. Interpersonal violence occurs early in development and is sustained over the life course with risks of replication across generations. Most children in South Africa are raised by women as fathers are frequently absent, rendering this caregiving relationship particularly significant. We aimed to understand how the mother/caregiver-daughter relationship may impact intergenerational violence transmission in one province in South Africa. Drawing from the third phase of a longitudinal cohort study, young adult daughters (previously interviewed in adolescence) and their former mothers/caregivers, who reported experiences of violence, were purposively sampled for in-depth interviews (n = 34 interviews representing 17 dyads). Using a dyadic approach to analysis, moving beyond individual experience to how these influenced and related to each other dynamically within the dyad, and considering attachment theory as a lens to review and understand findings, four themes were identified. Violence was transmitted through generations via 1) insecure attachment bonds between mothers and daughters, 2) mothers’ inability to protect and support their daughters, and 3) through the perpetuation of patriarchy via gendered attitudes towards parenting and subscription to unequal gender norms. There was recognition of 4) intergenerational changes in attitudes and responses to interpersonal violence and marriage that represented more positive effects on IPV and the parent–child relationship. In situations of continuous violence exposure, strengthening this primary and weighty attachment relationship (working on violence prevention and intervention at the level of the mother/caregiver-daughter dyad), and offering opportunities to meaningfully reflect on violence experiences through one’s life, may represent a durable positive influence on curbing violence transmission in vulnerable families.