ABSTRACT
This chapter is organized as follows. First is a review and discussion of historical factors that may affect intergenerational (IG) associations in parenting and how they have been studied. Second, theoretical perspectives guiding IG research are reviewed. The third and most detailed section pertains to empirical findings on IG associations in parenting, mechanisms (mediators) of stability, and factors (moderators) that attenuate IG stability or are associated with instability, including a special focus on IG transmission issues pertaining to mothers and fathers. Given the significant limitations of retrospective studies of parenting and the strengths and advantages of fully prospective IG designs, the present review is primarily focused on the findings from these latter studies. As such, a fourth section of this chapter details the many strengths, limitations, challenges, and promises of prospective IG designs, including examples from the Oregon Youth Study (OYS; of G1 and at-risk G2 boys) initiated in 1984, and OYS—Three Generational Study (OYS—3GS of G2 and G3) initiated in the early 1990s. The chapter concludes with a discussion of promising future directions for theory and research.
