Childhood maltreatment often continues from one generation to the next, perpetuating the cycle of abuse and depression. In a bid to promote healthier parent-child relationships, researchers from the University of Fukui compared mothers who engaged in maltreatment with those who did not, revealing that childhood trauma increases emotional empathy and depressive symptoms, raising the risk of abusive parenting. Their findings highlight the need for mental health support and parenting programs to help break this cycle.