ABSTRACT
Children who have been abused themselves or who have witnessed marital violence are at increased risk for abusing either their own children or their partners (Dutton, 1999; Egeland, Jacobvitz, & Sroufe, 1988; Hunter & Kilstrom, 1979; Oliver, 1993). Nevertheless, not all, or even the majority of, children who are abused become abusive themselves (Kaufman & Zigler, 1987). In fact, only one third of adults abused as children become abusive themselves, one third exhibit no subsequent aggressive behavior, and another one third are at increased risk for aggression given enough stress (Oliver). Given that childhood abuse thus increases the risk for subsequent aggression but by no means guarantees it, effective family violence prevention and treatment efforts require identifying those mechanisms that either potentiate the effects of family violence or that protect abused children from becoming abusive themselves.
