A nurse on a pediatric unit is discussing characteristics of abusive parents with a newly licensed nurse. Which of the following characteristicsshould the nurse include?

Research consistently identifies a history of being maltreated as a child as one of the strongest risk factors associated with becoming an abusive parent. This pattern, sometimes called the intergenerational transmission of violence, occurs because individuals who experienced abuse may have learned maladaptive parenting behaviors, have difficulty forming secure attachments, or lack appropriate coping strategies for the stresses of parenting. It is important to note, however, that this is a risk factor and not a determinism — many survivors of childhood abuse do not go on to abuse their own children. High self-esteem is not characteristic of abusive parents; on the contrary, abusive parents typically have low self-esteem, poor impulse control, and unrealistic expectations of their children. Projecting blame for personal troubles onto a spouse rather than onto the child is not a characteristic specifically associated with child abuse; abusive parents more commonly project negative perceptions onto the child, viewing the child as burdensome or the source of their problems. Frequent participation in community events suggests social connectedness, which is actually a protective factor against abuse rather than a characteristic of abusive parents. A history of childhood maltreatment is therefore the most evidence-supported characteristic to include in this teaching.