Causal Mediation Analysis for the Intergenerational Transmission of Violence Reveals Pathways From Child Maltreatment to Elder Mistreatment.

Background And Objectives: The effects of child maltreatment victimization affect the life-course trajectories of families including increasing risk of engaging in elder mistreatment when assuming a family caregiving role. This study evaluates the social-emotional information process theory as a mechanism that causally connects child maltreatment victimization with later engagement in elder mistreatment in the context of dementia family caregiving.

Research Design And Methods: During a 12-month observational longitudinal study, self-identified family caregivers to persons with dementia (N = 457) were recruited nationally to complete online surveys at enrollment, and 6- and 12-month follow-up. Through a multilevel serial mediation model, we tested the hypothesis that the causal role of past child maltreatment victimization on present-day engagement in elder mistreatment is mediated by cognitive processes (i.e., hostile attribution biases about the care recipient's behaviors) and emotional processes (i.e., caregivers' emotion regulation abilities).

Results: Findings show that child maltreatment has a significant indirect effect on elder mistreatment through hostile attribution bias and emotion dysregulation, and that these mediators fully account for the relationship between child maltreatment history and present-day use of elder mistreatment. The total effect of the mediation model is significant (b = 0.016, SD = 0.004, CI [0.010-0.024], p < .001), and the total variance explained in present-day elder mistreatment is 36%.

Discussion And Implications: A major contribution is the demonstration of modifiable mechanisms for the intergenerational transmission of violence as applied to elder mistreatment. Findings highlight the importance of a life-course view and the consideration of early-life experiences on behavioral aging outcomes.