Intergenerational patterns of child protection contact and offspring mental disorders from birth to age 18 years: A population-based study of Australian young people

Background While the association between child maltreatment and later mental illness is well established, less is known about whether this relationship extends intergenerationally. Objective To investigate intergenerational child protection service (CPS) contact and offspring mental disorder diagnoses across four familial patterns: no CPS contact, cycle breakers (parental CPS contact only), cycle initiators (offspring CPS contact only), and cycle maintainers (both generations). Participants and setting The study used linked administrative data from >75,000 Australian children (birth to ∼18 years) and their parents. Methods Binary logistic regression models examined associations between intergenerational CPS patterns and offspring mental disorder diagnoses (internalizing, externalizing, neurodevelopmental disorders, self-harm/suicidal ideation) adjusting for socio-demographic indicators and parental history of mental illness. Results In adjusted models, offspring categorized as cycle breakers differed from offspring from families with no CPS contact for internalizing disorders (OR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.14–2.03) and externalizing disorders (OR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.37–2.83). Offspring classified into initiator and maintainer families were more likely to have all disorder types compared to offspring from families with no CPS contact; the largest ORs were for externalizing disorders (initiator, OR = 5.41, 95% CI = 4.91–5.97; maintainer, OR = 8.82, 95% CI = 7.6010.23) and self-harm/suicidal ideation (initiator, OR = 5.21, 95% CI = 4.66–5.82; maintainer, OR = 7.82, 95% CI = 6.54–9.35). Conclusions Cycle breaker families and families with no CPS contact had similarly low levels of mental disorder across diagnosis type. Findings show a strong association between child maltreatment victimization and mental illness, underscoring the importance of early, targeted intervention to inform child protection and mental health policy.