From parental childhood physical maltreatment to preschool children's physical and relational aggression in China: A dyadic analysis of parental corporal punishment as a mediator

Background: Emerging research has documented the intergenerational effect of parental childhood maltreatment on children's aggressive behaviors, including physical and relational aggression. However, existing research on mediating mechanisms has largely been confined to individual-level analyses, overlooking the dyadic dynamics between mothers and fathers. Objective: The present study examined whether parental corporal punishment mediated the association between parents' childhood physical maltreatment (CPM) and child aggression using the actor–partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM). Participants and setting: A sample of 309 mother-father dyads and their preschool children (aged 3–6 years) was recruited from mainland China. Methods: Data were collected across two time points separated by a six-month interval. At T1, both parents completed retrospective reports of their own childhood physical maltreatment and self-reports of their current use of corporal punishment. At T2, children's physical and relational aggression were assessed via peer nominations. The proposed mediation model was tested using the APIMeM framework, with indirect effects evaluated via bootstrapping procedures. Results: Both maternal and paternal CPM were positively associated with their own use of corporal punishment (actor effects) as well as their partner's use of corporal punishment (partner effects). In turn, greater use of corporal punishment by both parents at T1 was linked to higher levels of physical and relational aggression in children at T2. Conclusions: The findings suggest that parental corporal punishment serves as a key dyadic mediator in the pathway from parental CPM to child aggression, highlighting the importance of considering interdependent family dynamics in understanding the intergenerational transmission of risk.