Intergenerational Patterns of Maltreatment in Families at Risk for Foster Care

Abstract

Few qualitative studies have investigated the process of parental efforts to break intergenerational patterns of maltreatment. A grounded theory approach was used to understand how 24 parents who had been identified by CPS as being at‐risk of having their children removed from their homes due to allegations of abuse and/or neglect, perceived and connected their own experiences of childhood abuse in light of their experiences as alleged perpetrators of child maltreatment. Three major categories were identified: patterns, beliefs, and behaviors. A majority of the parents stated that they recognized intergenerational patterns, most expressed that they wanted to be different from their own parents, yet many described parenting actions that were “destructive.” We suggest that it is the interrelationship amongst patterns, beliefs, and behaviors that may offer opportunities for parents and therapists to enact change.

A Bowen Family Systems Model of Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Romantic Relationship Distress

“…Schnarch & Regas, 2012;Skowron & Friedlander, 1998) and include parts of Bowen's theory that were not accounted for in this study. Additionally, it may be that those who say their parents/caregivers were violent with each other, may not have been learned meaningful ways to deal with conflict in relationships and therefore continue to replicate patterns that increase relationship distress (McWey et al, 2013).…”

“…In particular, Bowen suggests that family abuse/violence has negative effects on the emotional development of children, and that family abuse/violence are often symptoms of poor relationships process that occur in families. Therefore, if a person comes from a home where poor anxiety management results in children witnessing or experiencing violence, as adults, they may be more likely to have poor emotion regulation, difficulty balancing individuality and togetherness (Henry et al, 2011;Kerr & Bowen, 1988;Rellini, Vujanic, Gilbert, & Zvolensky, 2012), and may even perpetuate family violence in current relationships (Black, Sussman, & Unger, 2010;McWey, Pazdera, Vennum, & Wojciak, 2013).…”

The Profession of Couple, Marital, and Family Therapy (CMFT): Defining Ourselves and Moving Forward

“…Of course, there are content areas that must be addressed in order to deliver evidence-based models with fidelity, but there absolutely is room for therapist flexibility and expertise in EBP. Indeed, it is acceptable to adapt evidence-based interventions and exciting research is underway, led by CMFTs, which aims to systematically engage in adaptations to better meet the unique needs of specific populations and treatment contexts (c.f., McWey, Pazdera, Vennum, & Stevenson-Wojciak, 2013;Parra-Cardona et al, 2017).…”

Childhood abuse and family obligation in middle adulthood: findings from the MIDUS II National Survey

“…Helping a client make sense of their experiences through a more nuanced understanding of how severity of abuse and different categories of abuse could potentially affect feeling of obligation towards family, could aid in increasing the therapeutic outcome for the client. Additionally, exploring topics of abuse with families at risk of perpetrating intergenerational cycles of violence is important, as many adults of childhood abuse often report wanting to be different from their parents (McWey, Pazdera, Vennum and Wojciak, ). It may be beneficial for treatment to focus on interpersonal factors associated with perceived obligation to family.…”