NEWS | I N D E P T H
SOCIAL SCIENCES
Measuring child abuse’s legacy First large-scale, longitudinal study tracks abuse and neglect across generations
1408
sciencemag.org SCIENCE
27 MARCH 2015 • VOL 347 ISSUE 6229
Published by AAAS
Downloaded from www.sciencemag.org on March 27, 2015
T
original cohort had produced more than 700 of their own offspring, now about 22 years old on average. To examine what happened during those offspring’s childhoods, the researchers delved into court records and documents from the U.S. Child Protective Services (CPS), a government agency that responds to reports of child abuse and neglect. They also hired surveyors to conduct more than 1400 wide-ranging interviews with both generations. As the data rolled in, a complex story emerged. About one-fifth of parents who
PHOTO: PRINCESSDLAF/ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
from the interviews, Kohl says: “Whether it’s the child’s, parent’s, or a CPS report, you he notion that victims of physical don’t see transmission of physical abuse, abuse as kids are more likely to abuse but you do see intergenerational transmistheir own children, often described sion of sexual abuse and neglect.” as the “cycle of violence,” is widely The study offers solace to victims of held but sparsely documented. Now, physical abuse, as well as guidance for the first large, longitudinal study to judges and advisers involved in child custrack how victims of child abuse treat their tody cases, says Joan Kaufman, co-director own children has found little evidence of a of the Zigler Center Child Welfare Unit at cycle of violence, but suggests that sexual Yale University’s School of Medicine. Many abuse and neglect may indeed be passed people have been told that having a history down the generations. of physical abuse makes them less qualified Patricia Kohl, a social scientist to be parents, but a cycle of abuse at Washington University in St. is “not inevitable,” she says. Louis, calls the study, published Yet Kenneth Dodge, a psyon page 1480 of this issue, “semichologist at Duke University in nal” for its size and the variety of Durham, North Carolina, quesdata it drew on. But the study also tions the data on physical abuse, makes a controversial claim: that because it can be so difficult to heightened surveillance of famidocument. As a result, CPS worklies with a history of abuse may ers may focus on filing claims have biased some studies taken as of neglect rather than physical evidence for the cycle of violence. abuse when they fear for a child’s Without access to official resafety, he says. cords of abuse, researchers often The study highlights a differrely on recollections made years ent kind of potential bias against later and are limited to shortparents with a formal record of term studies with small sample being abused as children. Those sizes, says psychologist Cathy who told surveyors they had Spatz Widom of the City Univerabused their kids, or whose kids sity of New York. Those studies described being abused, were have come up with estimates of New data challenge the cycle of violence, the idea that physically abused 2.5 times more likely to be rethe proportion of abusive parents children, once they become parents, will similarly mistreat their kids. ported to CPS than parents in the who themselves suffered child control group who admitted to abuse ranging from as low as 7% to as high had experienced some form of abuse growabusing their children, or whose kids said as 70%. ing up had been reported to CPS for child they had been mistreated. This disparity In 1986, Widom launched an ambitious maltreatment—roughly twice the rate of the suggests that parents previously known to effort to document the effects of child abuse control group. When the team broke the the system as victims are far more likely to in hundreds of people across many years. data down by forms of abuse, however, the be flagged as abusers by social service proBy combing through court records from results were surprising. According to the grams, Widom says. a metropolitan area in the midwestern CPS data, children whose parents had been Dodge argues that it’s “just as plausible” United States, she identified 908 reports physically abused were no more at risk of that the maltreatment previously abused of physical and sexual abuse and neglect in physical abuse than those in the compariparents visit upon their offspring is “more the years 1967 to 1971 and tracked down the son group, a finding that directly contrasevere, chronic, and obvious, and therefore victims, who ranged from infants to 11-yeardicts the “cycle of violence.” more likely to be detected” than those unolds at the time of the abuse. As Widom The data on sexual abuse and neglect told familiar to CPS. But Kohl agrees with the followed these individuals and compared a different story. The children of people who study’s conclusion of prejudice: “This does them with a matched control group, she had suffered either sexual abuse or neglect suggest that there is in fact some type of found that the abused children’s risk of viowere roughly twice as likely to experience bias when families are previously known to lence and delinquency as they grew up was such abuse: CPS reports of sexual abuse the system.” far less than many had expected. were filed for 3.4% in the control group and If so, many cases of abuse in other famiTo test if the abused children would be7.7% in the abused group; the figures for lies may be slipping by unnoticed, Widom come abusive parents, Widom’s team had neglect were 9.5% in the control group and says. To her, that is an important message to wait 30 years, until the original subjects 18% in the abused group. (The study didn’t of the study. “We really need to shift our foaveraged 47 years old. By then, roughly half establish if the previously abused parent cus to prevention, by promoting child wellhad dropped out of the study, but the full was responsible.) Similar trends emerged being and strong families.” ■ By Emily Underwood
SOCIAL SCIENCES
Measuring child abuse’s legacy First large-scale, longitudinal study tracks abuse and neglect across generations
1408
sciencemag.org SCIENCE
27 MARCH 2015 • VOL 347 ISSUE 6229
Published by AAAS
Downloaded from www.sciencemag.org on March 27, 2015
T
original cohort had produced more than 700 of their own offspring, now about 22 years old on average. To examine what happened during those offspring’s childhoods, the researchers delved into court records and documents from the U.S. Child Protective Services (CPS), a government agency that responds to reports of child abuse and neglect. They also hired surveyors to conduct more than 1400 wide-ranging interviews with both generations. As the data rolled in, a complex story emerged. About one-fifth of parents who
PHOTO: PRINCESSDLAF/ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
from the interviews, Kohl says: “Whether it’s the child’s, parent’s, or a CPS report, you he notion that victims of physical don’t see transmission of physical abuse, abuse as kids are more likely to abuse but you do see intergenerational transmistheir own children, often described sion of sexual abuse and neglect.” as the “cycle of violence,” is widely The study offers solace to victims of held but sparsely documented. Now, physical abuse, as well as guidance for the first large, longitudinal study to judges and advisers involved in child custrack how victims of child abuse treat their tody cases, says Joan Kaufman, co-director own children has found little evidence of a of the Zigler Center Child Welfare Unit at cycle of violence, but suggests that sexual Yale University’s School of Medicine. Many abuse and neglect may indeed be passed people have been told that having a history down the generations. of physical abuse makes them less qualified Patricia Kohl, a social scientist to be parents, but a cycle of abuse at Washington University in St. is “not inevitable,” she says. Louis, calls the study, published Yet Kenneth Dodge, a psyon page 1480 of this issue, “semichologist at Duke University in nal” for its size and the variety of Durham, North Carolina, quesdata it drew on. But the study also tions the data on physical abuse, makes a controversial claim: that because it can be so difficult to heightened surveillance of famidocument. As a result, CPS worklies with a history of abuse may ers may focus on filing claims have biased some studies taken as of neglect rather than physical evidence for the cycle of violence. abuse when they fear for a child’s Without access to official resafety, he says. cords of abuse, researchers often The study highlights a differrely on recollections made years ent kind of potential bias against later and are limited to shortparents with a formal record of term studies with small sample being abused as children. Those sizes, says psychologist Cathy who told surveyors they had Spatz Widom of the City Univerabused their kids, or whose kids sity of New York. Those studies described being abused, were have come up with estimates of New data challenge the cycle of violence, the idea that physically abused 2.5 times more likely to be rethe proportion of abusive parents children, once they become parents, will similarly mistreat their kids. ported to CPS than parents in the who themselves suffered child control group who admitted to abuse ranging from as low as 7% to as high had experienced some form of abuse growabusing their children, or whose kids said as 70%. ing up had been reported to CPS for child they had been mistreated. This disparity In 1986, Widom launched an ambitious maltreatment—roughly twice the rate of the suggests that parents previously known to effort to document the effects of child abuse control group. When the team broke the the system as victims are far more likely to in hundreds of people across many years. data down by forms of abuse, however, the be flagged as abusers by social service proBy combing through court records from results were surprising. According to the grams, Widom says. a metropolitan area in the midwestern CPS data, children whose parents had been Dodge argues that it’s “just as plausible” United States, she identified 908 reports physically abused were no more at risk of that the maltreatment previously abused of physical and sexual abuse and neglect in physical abuse than those in the compariparents visit upon their offspring is “more the years 1967 to 1971 and tracked down the son group, a finding that directly contrasevere, chronic, and obvious, and therefore victims, who ranged from infants to 11-yeardicts the “cycle of violence.” more likely to be detected” than those unolds at the time of the abuse. As Widom The data on sexual abuse and neglect told familiar to CPS. But Kohl agrees with the followed these individuals and compared a different story. The children of people who study’s conclusion of prejudice: “This does them with a matched control group, she had suffered either sexual abuse or neglect suggest that there is in fact some type of found that the abused children’s risk of viowere roughly twice as likely to experience bias when families are previously known to lence and delinquency as they grew up was such abuse: CPS reports of sexual abuse the system.” far less than many had expected. were filed for 3.4% in the control group and If so, many cases of abuse in other famiTo test if the abused children would be7.7% in the abused group; the figures for lies may be slipping by unnoticed, Widom come abusive parents, Widom’s team had neglect were 9.5% in the control group and says. To her, that is an important message to wait 30 years, until the original subjects 18% in the abused group. (The study didn’t of the study. “We really need to shift our foaveraged 47 years old. By then, roughly half establish if the previously abused parent cus to prevention, by promoting child wellhad dropped out of the study, but the full was responsible.) Similar trends emerged being and strong families.” ■ By Emily Underwood
