Co-Occurrence of Husband-to-Wife Aggression, Family-of-Origin Aggression, and Child Abuse Potential in a Community Sample: Implications for Parenting

• NCJ Number: 206642
• Journal: Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 18 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2003 Pages: 413-440
• Author(s): Gayla Margolin; Elana B. Gordis; Anna Marie Medina; Pamella H. Oliver
• Editor(s): Jon R. Conte
• Date Published: April 2003
• Length: 28 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Special Issue on Children and Domestic Violence; see NCJ-206637-641 and NCJ-206643-644 for additional articles.

Annotation

This article examines the separate and additive influences of three family aggression variables; husband-to-wife aggression, family-of-origin aggression, and child abuse potential on mothers’ and fathers’ parenting in two samples of community families.

Abstract

Maltreatment and violence within the family system are reported to disrupt a variety of domains of family functioning, with the parent-child relationship as one domain at particular risk. This study examined whether aggression in the family-of-origin or in the current family system may be vulnerability factors for disrupted parent-child relations. Separate, as well as additive influences of family-of-origin aggression, husband-to-wife aggression, and child abuse potential are explored. Data presented are from two samples: mother-only and two-parent samples. The study addressed three questions: (1) what percentage of co-occurrence and what correlations are found between family-of-origin aggression, husband-to-wife aggression, and child abuse potential; (2) to what extent are family-of-origin aggression, husband-to-wife aggression, and child abuse potential related to mothers’ and fathers’ parenting styles; and (3) are there additive effects on parenting between the various forms of family aggression? According to both of the mothers’ and fathers’ reports, husband-to-wife aggression and child abuse potential are positively correlated with higher levels of controlling, coercive forms of discipline and negatively correlated with positive parenting dimensions of structure, sensitivity, and consistency. In addition, family-of-origin aggression is not associated with current parenting, except for modest correlations between fathers’ family-of-origin aggression and his current use of control tactics. The data from this study point to the importance of considering husband-to-wife aggression in the context of other forms of family aggression. The goal of research examining multiple forms of family aggression is to identify variables that buffer families against the continuance of these coercive family interactions and the spillover from one family system to another. Additional research is recommended to specify the precise linkages between family aggression and parenting and how these linkages change over time. Tables, figures, references