Abstract
The relationships between a maternal childhood history of physical abuse and a son's maltreatment experiences, childhood behavior problems and adult diagnoses were examined in a sample of 89 young male prison inmates and 31 of their mothers. Structured interviews, files, and questionnaires yielded information about childhood maltreatment. The presence of behavior problems was inferred from early files, and diagnoses were derived using interviews. LISREL path models showed that the sons' childhood history of rejection (emotional maltreatment) and neglect and the mothers' childhood physical abuse predicted the sons' externalizing behavior problems. The sons' physical abuse experiences predicted their adult depression and substance dependencies. Contrary to expectations, behavior problems were not a mediator between childhood maltreatment and adult diagnoses. Neither was there a direct relationship between maternal abuse history and the sons' maltreatment experiences.
