The Long-Term Impact of Child Maltreatment on Intimate Partner Violence: Results from a Nationally Representative Sample

Background/ Purpose: Intimate partner violence (IPV) presents a widespread public health challenge with enduring effects on psychological, relational, and socioeconomic well-being. A growing body of research has identified child maltreatment (CM) and exposure to parental IPV as critical early risk factors, yet much of this literature relies on cross-sectional designs or longitudinal studies based on earlier cohorts, limiting insights into how these experiences shape IPV trajectories in contemporary young adults. Young adulthood—particularly around age 22—marks a developmental transition when romantic relationship patterns are increasingly solidified, underscoring the need to understand long-term predictors of IPV during this formative period. Drawing on the intergenerational transmission of violence and social learning theory, this study examines how early psychological and physical abuse, as well as witnessing IPV at age five, influence the likelihood of experiencing IPV at age 22. Educational attainment is also investigated as a potential protective factor during this critical stage of relationship development.

Methods: Data were drawn from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal birth cohort study of nearly 5,000 children born in 20 large U.S. cities between 1998 and 2000. The analytic sample included 1,767 participants with complete data from interviews conducted at child ages five and 22. IPV outcomes at age 22 were assessed using the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2), including physical, psychological, and electronically mediated forms of aggression. Key predictors included child psychological and physical abuse measured via the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale at age five, and exposure to maternal IPV based on maternal reports from the same wave. Logistic regression was used to estimate associations between early maltreatment and IPV outcomes, adjusting for substance use, educational attainment, mental health status, income, and race/ethnicity. Models were estimated for both the full sample and a subsample of participants who were not single at age 22.

Results: Psychological abuse at age five was consistently associated with increased odds of experiencing IPV at age 22 across all models (ORs = 2.02–2.27, p < .05). Substance use in young adulthood also emerged as a significant risk factor (ORs = 1.42–1.59, p < .05). Educational attainment was associated with reduced IPV risk in the subsample of non-single participants (OR = 0.67, p = .009), but not in the full sample. Neither witnessing maternal IPV at age five nor experiencing physical abuse showed a statistically significant association with later IPV. Mental health status, income, and race/ethnicity were also not significant predictors.

Conclusions and Implications: Findings indicate that early psychological abuse and substance use at age 22 increase the likelihood of experiencing IPV, while higher educational attainment is protective among participants in relationships. This effect was not observed when single individuals were included, suggesting that those with more education may avoid entering abusive partnerships. Witnessing maternal IPV at age five was not significantly associated with later IPV. These results underscore the long-term impact of early adversity and support early interventions that target emotional abuse, promote educational attainment, and integrate substance use prevention to reduce IPV risk.