Linking the perceived legitimacy of the violence experienced by Quebec fathers during their childhood to the violence currently experienced by children in their family
Intergenerational patterns of violence against children and perceptions of childhood abuse have not been studied a lot among fathers. The objective of the present study is to determine the link between frequencies of childhood severe physical violence and its perceived legitimacy (first), and minor physical and psychological violence against children in present family (second) in a sub sample of 204 fathers from Quebec. These fathers reported being victims of childhood severe physical violence in a study measuring family violence in children’s life. This study was performed by the Institut de la Statistique du Québec in 2004. Results indicate a significant link between frequencies of childhood severe physical violence and its perceived legitimacy, and nowadays violence against children in the family. Discriminant analysis indicate that fathers who have often or very often lived childhood severe physical violence have children who suffer more psychological violence than fathers who have rarely experienced it. The more fathers think that childhood violence was deserved, the more their children suffer psychological violence. Finally, children of fathers who think that childhood severe physical violence was sometimes deserved suffer less minor physical violence than those of fathers who think that it was often or very often deserved. Implications for research and practice are discussed.