THE INTERGENERATIONAL CYCLE OF VIOLENCE IN CHILD AND ELDER ABUSE

Perpetrators of elder abuse (n = 23) and child abuse (n = 21) reported on violent behaviors experienced during their childhoods using the Co nflict Tactics Scales. Elder abusing adult offspring and child abusing parents did not differ significantly in their experience of ''overall '' violence as children. However, child abusing parents were significa ntly more likely than elder abusing adult offspring to have experience d ''severe'' violence in their childhoods. These results suggest that while intergenerational transmission of family violence is not an inev itable process, it is a more useful construct for explaining violence towards children than violence towards elder parents.