Protective factors that disrupt the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment: a systematic review

Background: Child abuse is one of the most adverse and stressful challenges faced by boys and girls, its harmful effects being transmitted from generation to generation. The literature has recognized protective factors that contribute to the interruption of the intergenerational cycle of abuse. Objetive: Carry out asystematic review of the literature, in order to identify protective factors against the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment, integrating those from the research of trauma theory. Methods: The global literature in PubMed and Web of Science was searched. Search terms included buffer, protective factors, maltreatment, abuse, and intergenerational transmission. Results: After the screening and selection, twenty-one articles that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed. Tables and figures were created to highlight the findings. Protective factors were found and organized into the following categories: individual level, relational level, social level, and related to trauma. The quantitative results are complemented with results from qualitative studies. Conclusions: There are protective factors at different levels of the individual's ecology that must be considered in the design of prevention and intervention programs for child abuse. It is necessary to continue deepening the knowledge on these factors, strengthening the methodological quality of the studies that investigate them.