Intimate Partner Violence Among a Cohort of Maltreated Youth and Comparison Group

Background: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a serious problem in youth putting them at increased risk for long-term negative outcomes.  Childhood maltreatment has consistently been identified as one of the risk factors for youth IPV. Previous research regarding children’s maltreatment experiences confirms that the youth involved in child welfare have quite diverse experiences and there is evidence that different types of maltreatment have different effects on IPV. The current study utilized prospective, longitudinal data from a sample of maltreated youth recruited from child welfare services as well as a comparison sample from the same neighborhoods to assess whether the presence of different types of maltreatment predicts experience of IPV in late adolescence/early adulthood.

 

Method: The study used prospective data and all youth self-reported on several types of IPV including relational, sexual, threatening and physical victimization and perpetration. Participants included 184 maltreated youth and 99 non-maltreated youth aged 15 to 23.  Multivariable logistic regressions were used to predict the experience of physical IPV  for 1) maltreated versus comparison groups and 2) four different forms of maltreatment (i.e. physical, sexual, neglect, emotional). Physical abuse was the only measure examined at the multivariable level because it was deemed to be the most conservative scale, as it is less open to interpretation by respondents. Due to high rates of co-occurrence for different types of maltreatment, categorical variables were created to compare those who experienced a particular type of maltreatment, versus youth who did not experience that type, including comparison youth. Covariates included age, gender, and race.

Results: Comparison and maltreatment groups experienced similar levels of IPV across all types (relational, sexual, threatening and physical) and directions (victimization and perpetration). Threatening IPV behavior was the most frequently endorsed type of victimization (40.8%) and perpetration (44.0%); and 27.3% of participants experienced physical IPV perpetration and 29.2% experienced victimization. Multivariable regression results revealed that the presence of physical abuse doubled the likelihood of reporting physical IPV perpetration (OR=2.47). The presence of emotional abuse was significantly associated with a decrease in odds of reporting physical IPV victimization (OR=0.43) or perpetration (OR=0.45). Being older (OR=1.28), female (OR=4.46), Black (OR=5.57) or Latino (OR=5.22) significantly increased the odds of experiencing physical IPV victimization. Black youth had greater odds of physical IPV perpetration (OR=4.82).

Discussion: Results demonstrate that IPV was pervasive amongst this sample. The experience of physical abuse increased the likelihood of perpetrating IPV during adolescence, which is consistent with many findings that support the intergenerational transmission of violence.  Contrary to previous findings, the experience of emotional abuse was actually a protective factor within our multivariable modes. Not only does this further highlight the diversity in maltreatment experiences and the need to closely examine the specific forms of maltreatment in relation to IPV, it provides new questions in this linkage. Overall, these results suggest that addressing maltreatment during childhood may reduce IPV in young adulthood. The need for future research should be prioritized to inform policies and programs that can address the specific needs aging maltreated youth.