Pathways From Physical Childhood Abuse to Partner Violence in Young Adulthood

• NCJ Number: 207064
• Journal: Violence and Victims Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2004 Pages: 123-136
• Author(s): Todd I. Herrenkohl; W. Alex Mason; Rick Kosterman; Liliana J. Lengua; J. David Hawkins; Robert D. Abbott
• Date Published: April 2004
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study investigated three competing hypotheses for explaining the relationship between physical childhood abuse and later perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV).

Abstract

While a vast quantity of knowledge has accumulated regarding IPV, research has failed to shed light on why certain risk factors, such as physical child abuse, lead to the later perpetration of IPV. While many theoretical explanations exist for the link between physical childhood abuse and IPV, the supporting empirical evidence is sparse. As such, three competing hypotheses were examined for their ability to account for the relationship between childhood physical abuse and IPV in early adulthood. The first hypothesis stated that “physical child abuse increases risk for IPV by promoting violent behavior in adolescents that carries through to early adulthood,” while the second hypothesis stated that physical child abuse increases risk for IPV by having deleterious effects on an individual’s ability to regulate their emotions (“negative emotionality”). The third hypothesis stated that physical child abuse adversely impacts the quality of later relationships, leading to an increased risk of IPV. Data were drawn from the Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP), a longitudinal study of youth development and behavior involving a panel of children who began the study at age 10 (N=644). Six waves of data were gathered; participants provided information about physical child abuse, childhood aggression at age 10, adolescent violence at ages 15 through 18, negative emotionality at age 21, relationship quality at age 24, and partner violence at age 24. Results of multiple group structural equation models revealed little evidence for any one hypothesis. Remarkably, there was a lack of significant mediation effects for the hypotheses; physical child abuse was a direct and strong predictor of IPV for males. This finding suggests that variables other than those included in this analysis should be analyzed in order to explain the development progression from physical child abuse victimization to adult perpetration of IPV. Tables, figures, notes, references