Intergenerational Continuity of Child Maltreatment in East Asian American Families: Roles of Parents' Beliefs in Physical Punishment and Social Support

ABSTRACT This study used data from a sample of East Asian American families ( N = 604) to examine the intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment and the roles of parents' beliefs in physical punishment and perceived social support. After controlling for parent, child and household characteristics, parents' experience of childhood physical abuse was associated with elevated risk of all three types of maltreatment towards their own children (psychological aggression, physical assaults and neglect). This association was mediated by parents' beliefs in physical punishment, while perceived social support moderated the association between childhood physical abuse and child neglect, with high levels of social support attenuating risk. The findings identify parents' childhood physical abuse and disciplinary beliefs as key mechanisms in the intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment and underscore the protective function of social support. They point to the need for culturally responsive interventions that address underlying disciplinary beliefs and strengthen support networks to help disrupt the intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment in East Asian American families.