A History of Childhood Maltreatment and Intimate Partner Violence Victimization Among Native American Adults

The accumulated evidence of revictimization, suggesting earlier traumatic experiences may lead to subsequent traumatic events, is compelling. However, few studies have examined how a history of childhood maltreatment is related to victimization from intimate partner violence (IPV) among Native American adults. This study attempted to fill the gap in the literature by examining the association between childhood maltreatment and IPV victimization using a sample of Native American adults. Based on Riggs’s theoretical model of the long-term effects of childhood abuse, we also examined the mediating roles of insecure attachment patterns and depressive symptoms in the association.  

The primary data were collected using a self-administered survey with a convenience sampling procedure in non-metropolitan areas in the Upper Midwest of the United States. The final study sample consisted of 479 Native Americans. A structural equation modeling approach was employed to examine the hypothesized relationships among key constructs. Consistent with established arguments of revictimization, our findings showed that the experience of childhood maltreatment was positively associated with IPV victimization. The mediation analyses showed that depression was a significant mediator in the association between childhood maltreatment and IPV victimization. Additionally, all of the paths linking childhood maltreatment, disorganized attachment, depressive symptoms, and IPV victimization were statistically significant, although the overall mediation effect was not significant.

The results of this study suggest that the Riggs’s (2010) model can serve as a useful theoretical framework understanding the long-term effects of childhood maltreatment among Native American adults. Future research may incorporate the theory of adult attachment and examine the long-term effects of other adverse childhood experiences on contemporary adult relationship functioning within this population. In terms of practice, practitioners in the area of IPV should include maltreatment history and current attachment patterns in their assessments with clients, which will help to address conflict and violence within intimate relationships.