The push and pull of closeness: Dyadic parent-offspring intimacy in the shadow of parental history of child maltreatment

Parental history of child maltreatment (CM) may affect perceived parent-child closeness. However, past research often examines this from either the parent's or child's perspective alone. This study uses an intimacy framework to explore the dyadic nature of perceived closeness in parent-child relationships involving CM. We examine the links between CM exposure and three outcomes: perceived parental intimacy with young adults, offspring's perceived intimacy with parents, and perception discrepancies. We also explore posttraumatic stress PTS, disturbances in self-organization DSO, anxious attachment, and avoidant attachment as potential underlying mechanisms. 452 parent-offspring dyads completed self-reported questionnaires assessing CM, CPTSD symptoms (PTS and DSO), attachment, and intimacy. CM had mixed effects on intimacy perceptions. For parents, CM was linked to lower perceived intimacy via PTS (indirect effect = -0.48; p < 0.05) but higher via DSO (indirect effect = 0.09; p < 0.01). For offspring, CM was positively associated with perceived intimacy via DSO (indirect effect = 0.077; p < 0.05) but negatively through avoidant attachment (indirect effect = -0.087; p < 0.01). Regarding intimacy discrepancy, parental CM was negatively associated through PTS (indirect effect = -0.049; p < 0.01) and positively through anxious attachment (indirect effect = 0.029; p < 0.05). Our findings suggest CM history influences parent-child intimacy via complex paths, with PTS and DSO having opposite effects. Attachment styles are key mediators in these cross-generational processes.