The intergenerational transmission of violence: a combined prospective criminological and neurobiological investigation

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Christina Beckord
• Subject Area: Criminology ; Empirical Social Research
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 497249776

The study of intergenerational transmission of violence has often been expressed as a correlation of behavior between two generations. However, such a transmission rate only partially expresses intergenerational transmission patterns. In the approved project and the extension that has now been applied for, this research gap is addressed by defining four transmission types (maintainers, cycle breakers, initiators and non-violents). The study also combines sociological-criminological and neurobiological findings. The previous two sociological-criminological surveys, which have become established among the participants under the name “Challenges in young families” (CiYou), are to be extended by a further two survey dates as part of the planned continuation. The resulting four-wave panel will enable the detailed analysis of parent-child dyads with the addition of neurobiological test results. In addition, data is available for 371 parent-child triads due to the additional partner questionnaire. A total of 13 additional survey waves from the original CrimoC study are available as individual development of G2. In the foreseeable future, neurobiological results will also be linked to the data set. The data situation is therefore not only unique for Germany. Internationally, there are also only a few intergenerational panel studies based on self-reports (Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, Farrington et al. 2018; Oregon Youth Study, Capaldi et al. 2018; Columbia County Longitudinal Study, Dubow et al. 2018; Seattle Social Development Project, Bailey et al. 2018; Rochester Intergenerational Study, Thornberry et al. 2018; Family Transition Project, Martin et al. 2018), none of which have such short-time intervals over a comparably long period of time. For the conditions of growing up and the development of children, only the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (Orri et al. 2021) can be mentioned, in which the development of newborns from the age of 5 months to their 20s was examined. The overarching goals of the continuation project are A) to accompany the neurobiological investigation of the initial application, which is still taking place and will be extended at no extra cost, B) to improve the data basis and utilization in order to find out whether it makes sense to apply for a longitudinal project based on the sample (subsequent recruitment of participants who have become parents since the last recruitment in 2022 and establishment of a personal follow-up survey) C) the expansion of the content analyses (stability of transmission types, emotional and psychological violence, the significance of the partner, reciprocal violence between the generations) and the integration of neurobiological data and D) the continuation of previous and new analyses and publications.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants