Fathers who experienced childhood maltreatment: aggression and testosterone

Worldwide, nearly 300 million children experience regular maltreatment,1 with devastating long-term consequences. A history of childhood maltreatment among parents is a potential risk factor for later maltreatment perpetration, but research on childhood maltreatment and parenthood has mostly focused on mothers, examining the consequences of mothers' own experiences of early maltreatment for perpetration of childhood maltreatment, infant bonding, and child development.2 By contrast, little attention has been given to the implications of childhood maltreatment for fatherhood. Sex and gender can influence how childhood maltreatment is experienced and perpetrated; fathers are more likely than mothers to perpetrate physical or sexual abuse, whereas mothers are more likely to perpetrate neglect.1 New fathers might face challenges that are different from those faced by mothers, and their responses might be differently influenced by childhood maltreatment experiences.