The transgenerational cycle of adverse childhood experiences: transmission and familial factors for intervention - first results of an 18-year German longitudinal study.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) often exhibit an intergenerational cycle within families, although the transgenerational effects tend to be small to moderate. Many families seem to be able to break this cycle.

Objective: This study aimed to examine how many emerging adults remain in the same ACE group as their parents, show improvement, or experience deterioration, and to identify factors associated with these transgenerational changes.

Method: Data from 316 families participating in the 18-year German longitudinal study 'Future Family' were analyzed. The dataset included information from mothers (average age: 54 years), fathers (57 years), and their emerging adults (22 years). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, and a multinomial regression model were computed.

Results: Small correlations were found between the total ACE scores of parents and emerging adults. Approximately half of the emerging adults belonged to the same ACE group as their parents, while the other half experienced a shift in group membership across generations. Lower levels of dysfunctional maternal parenting behaviour in early childhood were associated with improvements in emerging adults' ACE group status, while a higher maternal socioeconomic status was linked to a reduced likelihood of deterioration. Many emerging adults of parents in the high-risk group (reporting ≥4 ACEs) reported fewer ACEs themselves, indicating that high-risk families are able to break the cycle of adversity.

Conclusions: The main findings support existing prevention efforts, particularly the strengthening of parenting skills and the enhancement of families' economic resources. Future research should examine the intergenerational transmission of ACEs with a sex-sensitive approach and place greater emphasis on the role of fathers.