Infant abuse linked to early experience, not genetics

Intergenerational transmission of infant abuse is more likely caused by early experience than genetic inheritance, new University of Chicago research on macaque monkeys shows.


“Maternal abuse of offspring in macaque monkeys shares some similarities with child maltreatment in humans, including its transmission across generations,” said Dario Maestripieri, Associate Professor in the Department of Comparative Human Development at the University of Chicago.

“The mechanisms underlying the intergenerational transmission of abuse are not well understood,” said Maestripieri, who is also an affiliate scientist at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center of Emory University. ” Ours is the first study to show that rhesus monkey females who are abused by their mothers in infancy tend to become abusive mothers themselves, and the first to provide experimental evidence that the intergenerational transmission of abuse is the result of early experience and not genetic inheritance,” he said.

Maestripieri reports his findings in an article, “Early Experience Affects the Intergenerational Transmission of Infant Abuse in Rhesus Monkeys,” published in the online Early Edition of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA the week of June 27-July 1.

Among macaque monkeys, most of the abuse occurs in the first six months of an infant’s life, and most of that abuse occurs during the first month. The abuse consists of such behavior as biting, dragging or hitting.

Maestripieri and his research team cross-fostered female infants between abusive and non-abusive mothers and followed these infants, along with others who were reared by their biological mothers until they gave birth.

Nine of the 16 females who were abused in infancy by their biological or foster mothers were abusive toward their own offspring, while none of the 15 females reared by non-abusive mothers were abusive toward their offspring.

In particular, the researchers found that none of the offspring who were born to abusive mothers but raised by non-abusive foster mothers developed abusive parenting patterns, suggesting that genetic factors do not play a primary role in the intergenerational transmission of abuse.

The research may provide insights into how child abuse is transmitted in human families, Maestripieri said. Researchers estimate that as many 70 percent of the people who abuse their children were abused themselves growing up, Maestripieri added.

“In humans, we aren’t ruling out genetics entirely, as some temperamental characteristics, such as impulsivity, may be inherited and have an impact on a parent’s potential to abuse children,” he said. “What would be interesting to study would be the situations in which infants are abused but do not go on to become abusive parents.

“In monkeys, as in humans, support from social networks may buffer individuals against the negative consequences of early abuse, making them more resilient and less likely to become abusive adults,” he said.

Media Contact

William Harms EurekAlert!

More Information:

http://www.uchicago.edu

All latest news from the category: Life Sciences and Chemistry

Articles and reports from the Life Sciences and chemistry area deal with applied and basic research into modern biology, chemistry and human medicine.

Valuable information can be found on a range of life sciences fields including bacteriology, biochemistry, bionics, bioinformatics, biophysics, biotechnology, genetics, geobotany, human biology, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biology, cellular biology, zoology, bioinorganic chemistry, microchemistry and environmental chemistry.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

Lighting up the future

New multidisciplinary research from the University of St Andrews could lead to more efficient televisions, computer screens and lighting. Researchers at the Organic Semiconductor Centre in the School of Physics and…

Researchers crack sugarcane’s complex genetic code

Sweet success: Scientists created a highly accurate reference genome for one of the most important modern crops and found a rare example of how genes confer disease resistance in plants….

Evolution of the most powerful ocean current on Earth

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current plays an important part in global overturning circulation, the exchange of heat and CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere, and the stability of Antarctica’s ice sheets….

Partners & Sponsors