Experience of Domestic Violence During Childhood, Intimate Partner Violence, and the Deterrent Effect of Awareness of Legal Consequences

Abstract

The concept of intergenerational transmission of intimate partner violence (IPV) has been an important topic of research. Experts have contended that this brutal path in which violence is transmitted to subsequent generations may be avoidable. This study examined whether public perceptions of the legal regulation of IPV and the certainty of sanction deter the prevalence of IPV. Data from 3,800 households were obtained from a nationwide survey conducted in South Korea. Due to a skewed distribution of the prevalence of IPV, this study applied a zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) model, which has been shown to address issues of skewed count variables. In addition, use of a ZIP model allowed us to examine factors associated with the occurrence and frequency of IPV. Results showed that child abuse experience and perceptions of the law were associated with the occurrence of IPV. Individuals who experienced child abuse were more likely to perpetrate IPV, whereas those aware of the law were less likely to perpetrate IPV. Witnessing IPV between parents was associated with an increased frequency of IPV. Results suggest that by increasing awareness of laws against domestic violence, IPV may be reduced or prevented.

Pathways from witnessing parental violence during childhood to involvement in intimate partner violence in adult life: The roles of depression and substance use

“…On the other hand, among those who reported being victims of physical violence in childhood (21% of the population), less than one-third had also witnessed parental violence. Similar results were also reported by Song and colleagues [2], assessing a representative sample of household residents in South Korea, China, the Philippines and other countries [38,39]. The present study arises from the premise that, even though being a victim of physical violence and witnessing parental violence as a child are highly associated, and probably share the same underlying factors, the victims' profile might be distinct, and therefore, its associated factors and long-term consequences should be studied separately.…”

“…Our results suggest that being a victim of direct violence (physical violence, as assessed here) and witnessing parental violence do not necessarily overlap, and that witnessing parental violence is independently associated with being a victim of IPV later in life. However, perpetration of IPV in adulthood was not predicted by WPV, when controlling for having suffered direct violence as a child, although this is a significant predictor of both, victimisation and perpetration [2,7].…”

“…The consequences of IPV go beyond harming the partner's physical and/or psychological well‐being. As IPV occurs within the household, it often affects children and adolescents, either as direct victims who suffer psychological, physical and/or sexual abuse, or indirect, when witnessing parental violence (WPV) .…”

“…Witnessing the perpetration of physical aggression within the family can be as damaging to children as personally suffering violence, and both are associated with mood and anxiety disorders. This includes post‐traumatic stress disorder , and can also trigger conduct disorders that may progress to the perpetration of IPV in later stages of adult life, during which cohabiting relationships are established .…”

Preventing Intimate Partner Violence: Towards a Framework for Supporting Effective Community Mobilisation

“…Rwanda's decentralised government structure with GBV representatives at all levels, each with unique responsibilities, gives community members a new set of possible actions in responding to IPV. This can also act as a form of secondary prevention by ensuring that IPV cases that cannot be handled by community members will be dealt with by broader institutions, thus reaffirming the idea that IPV is a social problem with real consequences for perpetrators (Song, Wenzel, Kim, & Nam, ).…”