Key Social Norms Take-aways The study highlights that deeply embedded injunctive social norms—particularly those supporting authoritarian parenting, gender inequality, and the acceptability of violence as discipline—play a central role in sustaining intergenerational transmission of violence (ITV) in South Africa. Norms that justify harsh punishment, normalize aggression, and reinforce rigid expectations around obedience and gender roles are internalized across generations and rarely questioned. The discussion emphasizes that violence is not only learned behaviorally but also socially sanctioned through shared expectations about what is acceptable within families and communities. These norms intersect with structural inequalities (e.g., poverty, food insecurity) to reinforce cycles of violence, suggesting that meaningful prevention must address both normative and structural drivers simultaneously.

Objectives The study aims to understand how violence is transmitted across generations within families in a low-resource South African context, focusing on identifying recurring patterns, mechanisms, and contextual drivers of intergenerational transmission of violence.

Methods The study employs a qualitative multiple case study design nested within a longitudinal cohort study in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Data were collected through in-depth interviews conducted at two time points with members of seven multigenerational families (n = 38 interviews), including young adults, their caregivers, and their children. Arts-based methods (e.g., drawings, “river of life,” sandboxing) were used to facilitate narratives. Reflexive thematic analysis, informed by attachment theory, social learning theory, and trauma frameworks, was applied to identify patterns within and across families. Social norms were not measured quantitatively but were explored qualitatively through narratives reflecting shared expectations, beliefs, and practices around parenting, gender roles, and violence.

Results Three key themes emerged: (1) unresolved aggression reenacted across generations, where unmanaged anger and normalized violence shaped parenting practices; (2) complicated and unstable caregiving arrangements leading to insecure attachment and continued exposure to violence; and (3) strong adherence to inflexible injunctive norms, including authoritarian parenting, gender inequality, and child subordination, which reinforced marginalization and justified violence. Across families, violence was normalized as discipline, with children and adults alike accepting physical punishment as necessary. Structural factors such as poverty, food insecurity, and weak social systems further exacerbated these dynamics.

Conclusions The study concludes that intergenerational violence is driven by an interplay of social norms, family dynamics, and structural inequalities. Rigid injunctive norms that normalize violence and limit agency are central to this transmission. Effective prevention requires multi-level interventions that challenge harmful norms, strengthen parenting practices, and address broader structural conditions. Without disrupting these entrenched normative systems, cycles of violence are likely to persist across generations.