Intergenerational maltreatment in parent-child dyads from Burundi, Africa: Associations among parental depression and connectedness, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and aggression in children

Abstract

Studies investigating the associations between histories of childhood maltreatment (CM) in parent-child dyads have primarily involved samples from high-income countries; however, CM rates are higher in low- and middle-income countries. The present study aimed to examine the (a) association between maltreatment in parents and maltreatment of their children through risk (i.e., parent depression) and protective (i.e., parent-child connectedness) factors and (b) associations between CM in children with aggression through posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and peer/sibling victimization. Participants were 227 parent-child dyads from Burundi, Africa, a low-income country. Parents were 18 years of age or older, and children were 12-18 years (M = 14.76, SD = 1.88, 57.7% female). Among parents, 20.7%-69.5% of participants reported a history of physical and emotional abuse and neglect; among children, the rates of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse ranged from 14.5% to 89.4%. A history of CM in parents was associated with CM in children, B = 0.19, p < .01, and CM in parents was indirectly associated with CM in children through parent-child connectedness, β = .04, 95% CI [.01, .10], and parental depression, β = .08, 95% CI [.03, .15]. In children, maltreatment was positively associated with peer/sibling victimization, and CM was associated with aggression, β = .07, 95% CI [.04, 0.11], through PTSS but not via peer/sibling victimization. Continued efforts to improve CM-related preventive strategies and the accessibility of prevention services are needed to reduce CM in low-income countries such as Burundi.