Safe, Stable, Nurturing Relationships as a Moderator of Intergenerational Continuity of Child Maltreatment: A Meta-Analysis
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PURPOSE: The present paper summarizes findings of the special issue papers on the intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment and through meta-analysis explores the potential moderating effects of safe, stable, nurturing relationships (SSNRs). METHODS: Studies were selected for inclusion in this meta-analysis if they (1) were published in peer-reviewed journals; (2) tested for intergenerational continuity in any form of child maltreatment, using prospective, longitudinal data; and (3) tested for moderating effects of any variable of SSNRs on intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment. The search revealed only one additional study beyond the four reports written for this special issue that met inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. RESULTS: Estimates of intergenerational stability of child maltreatment from the studies included in this special issue are consistent with several other studies, which find that child maltreatment in one generation is positively related to child maltreatment in the next generation. Furthermore, meta-analytic results from the five studies that met the inclusion criteria suggest a protective, moderating effect of SSNRs on intergenerational continuity of child maltreatment. The calculated fail-safe index indicated that 49 unpublished intergenerational studies with an average null effect would be required to render nonsignificant the overall moderation effect of SSNRs on child maltreatment. CONCLUSIONS: This special issue expanded the examination of SSNRs beyond the caregiver-child dyad. That is, these studies considered SSNRs in adult relationships as well as parent-child relationships. Results suggest that certain types of SSNRs between parents and other adults (e.g., romantic partner, co-parent, or adult social support resource) may decrease maltreatment continuity.
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Schofield et al. (2013) found a strong association between child maltreatment in G1 and subsequent maltreatment of G2, and identified safe, stable, and nurturing relationships as protective moderators on the intergenerational continuity of maltreatment.
“They found a strong association between child maltreatment in G1 and subsequent maltreatment of G2. However, they then went on to identify safe, stable, and nurturing relationships as protective moderators on the intergenerational continuity of maltreatment despite different measures and conceptualizations of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships in the included studies.”
From What Are the Mechanisms Underpinning Intergenerational Transmission of Violence Perpetration? A Realist Review (2026) · cites this paper as Schofield et al., 2013
Split into 2 atoms — 1 confirmed, 1 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredSensitive, stable, and secure relationships can break the cycle of abuse.
“A recent meta-analysis [21] confirmed that sensitive, stable, and secure relationships can break the cycle of abuse.”
From Psychoanalytic Interventions with Abusive Parents: An Opportunity for Children’s Mental Health (2022) · cites this paper as [21]
The Results (Meta-analysis of the Moderating Role of SSNRs; page unavailable) find a protective association between safe, stable, nurturing relationships and intergenerational child maltreatment. But the Discussion says the nonexperimental studies cannot establish causality and that five studies are too few for firm conclusions, so the meta-analysis does not confirm that these relationships can break the cycle. (LLM, conf=0.88)
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- Authors
- Schofield, T. J., Lee, R. D., & Merrick, M. T.
- Affiliations
- Iowa State University (US)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US)
- Corresponding author
- Schofield, Thomas J.
- Venue
- Journal of Adolescent Health
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2013-10
- Volume
- 53
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- S32-S38
- ISSN
- 1054-139X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3784834
- OpenAlex
- W2156526350
- Cited by
- 242
- References
- 52
- Citations by year
- 2026: 22 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 36 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 3
- FWCI
- 1.48
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Adolescent Health (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH051361)
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD047573)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Child Welfare and Adoption
- Social Sciences › Health › Intimate Partner and Family Violence
- Keywords
- child abuse, moderating effect, parent-child relationship, adult relationships, romantic partners, co-parents, protective factors
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Child, Child Abuse, Humans, Parent-Child Relations, Sexual Partners, Social Support, Intergenerational Relations, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
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