Intergenerational transmission of physical abuse, probability of conviction, and laws against abuse in Tunisia

Abstract

Background: A robust research literature suggests that parents victimized by physical abuse in childhood are more likely to physically abuse their own children. However, no research has examined whether the existence of a law against maltreatment may mitigate intergenerational transmission effects. Objectives: This study examines the association between parents' childhood physical victimization and later very severe physical abuse on their children and explores the effect of laws against maltreatment on intergenerational transmission of physical abuse in Tunisia, using knowledge of the existence of a law against child abuse as a proxy. Method: Based on a nationally representative sample of 1002 Tunisian parents, this study used regression models with population weights that controlled for parents' age, gender, and level of education as well as total number of minor children and adults in the household. Results: The study finds that childhood physical victimization is positively associated with an increased use of very severe physical abuse (β = 0.700, p < .001), knowledge of the existence of a law is associated with less frequent very severe physical abuse (β = −0.502, p < .05), and knowledge of the existence of a law moderates the relationship between parents' victimization and parents' perpetration (β = −0.540, p < .001). However, higher conviction probabilities estimated by participants were associated with more frequent, rather than less frequent, very severe physical abuse (β = 0.059, p < .001). Conclusion: The findings suggest that the knowledge of the existence of a law against child abuse may be associated with less very severe physical abuse of children but not because of an increased probability of perpetrator punishment. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.