Childhood physical abuse, early social support, and risk for maltreatment:current social support as a mediator of risk for child physical abuse

Objective: The study investigated whether perceptions of social support in adulthood partially mediated the associations between childhood experiences (i.e., receipt of physical abuse and levels of early social support) and a dult risk for child physical abuse. Method: Participants included 598 general population adults who completed s elf-report measures designed to assess childhood physical abuse, perception s of early and current social support, and risk factors for child physical abuse. Structural equation modeling was used to lest and cross validate a m odel that included the direct effects of child physical abuse and early soc ial support on child physical abuse risk, as well as mediated effects throu gh an influence on adult perceptions of social support. Results: Childhood physical abuse and early social support covaried, such t hat receipt of physical abuse was associated with lower levels of perceived early social support, Early support, hut not child physical abuse, had an indirect effect (i.e., through current support) on child physical abuse ris k. More specifically, levels of early support were directly related to adul t perceptions of support, and adult perceptions of support were inversely a ssociated with child physical abuse risk. Childhood physical abuse was dire ctly related to child physical abuse risk. Conclusions: Low levels of early support may impact risk for child physical abuse by affecting perceptions of others as supportive in adulthood. The r eceipt of physical abuse in childhood, however, does not appear to impact p erceptions of support in adulthood. Research is needed to identify addition al factors that may explain the association between receipt of physical abu se in childhood and increased risk of child physical abuse in adulthood. (C ) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.