Children of parents who cheat in relationships are more likely to cheat on their spouses

1. A striking statistical pattern — the “twice as likely” headline that stuck

Multiple analyses and at least one 2015 study published in Journal of Family Issues found that participants who reported a parent’s infidelity were about twice as likely to report cheating on their own romantic partners (44% vs. 22% in that college sample), a finding echoed in later, larger adult surveys that report similar or slightly higher multipliers (up to 2.5×) ^{[1] [3]}. These numbers come from differing methodologies: small convenience samples of college students versus larger, more representative adult surveys; the consistency of the association across designs strengthens the inference that parental infidelity is a robust correlate of offspring infidelity, though effect sizes and basal rates vary by sample and measurement choices ^{[1] [2]}.

2. How researchers explain the link — learned norms, not inevitability

Authors of recent studies and summaries emphasize social learning and transmitted norms as central mechanisms: children observe parental behavior and internalize implicit messages about commitment and acceptable conduct, which can shape later relationship choices and moral calculations ^{[2] [3]}. Researchers caution that this is not deterministic; variables like relationship satisfaction, communication quality, and conscious moral beliefs can reduce the likelihood of cheating even among those exposed to parental infidelity. Thus the evidence supports increased propensity, not certainty, and points toward modifiable family and relationship processes as intervention targets ^{[2] [1]}.

3. Important caveats — measurement, sample bias, and confounding factors

The studies cited include college surveys and adult self‑reports that rely on participants’ recall or belief about parental behavior, introducing measurement error and potential bias; college samples may overestimate effects compared with population samples ^{[1] [3]}. Confounders such as childhood trauma, parental relationship quality, socioeconomic context, and community norms also influence outcomes; some analyses note that childhood trauma and family dysfunction can themselves raise infidelity risk, complicating attributions that parental cheating alone causes offspring cheating ^{[4] [5]}. These methodological limits mean the relationship is associative and mediated by broader family dynamics rather than a single causal pathway ^{[5] [3]}.

4. Broader impacts — trust, outlook on romance, and intergenerational messaging

Qualitative and survey work documents enduring psychological effects: large fractions of children report lingering betrayal, altered expectations about romance, and reduced trust in partners after parental infidelity, with many acknowledging that these experiences shape partner selection and relationship behavior ^{[6] [7]}. Researchers link these subjective consequences to behavioral outcomes: when parental infidelity normalizes extramarital relationships or signals that betrayal is a tolerable solution to relationship problems, offspring may be more likely to replicate similar strategies in their own partnerships unless countervailing influences intervene ^{[6] [2]}.

5. What this means for interventions and public understanding

The convergent evidence suggests prevention and therapy should target family communication, repair after betrayal, and explicit value transmission: teaching conflict resolution, clarifying norms about fidelity, and fostering secure attachments can reduce the intergenerational transmission of infidelity risk. Policymakers and clinicians should avoid simplistic messaging that labels children of cheating parents as destined to cheat; instead, they should emphasize modifiable relational processes and resilience factors highlighted in the literature ^{[2] [4]}. Future research with longitudinal, representative designs would clarify causal chains and test intervention effectiveness to break this observed pattern ^{[3] [2]}.