Understanding Adolescent and Family Influences on Intimate Partner Psychological Violence During Emerging Adulthood and Adulthood

Abstract

The intergenerational transmission of violence directed toward intimate partners has been documented for the past three decades. Overall, the literature shows that violence in the family of origin leads to violence in the family of destination. However, this predominately cross–sectional or retrospective literature is limited by self–selection, endogeneity, and reporter biases as it has not been able to assess how individual and family behaviors simultaneously experienced during adolescence influence intimate partner violence throughout adulthood. The present study used data from the Iowa Youth and Families Project (IYFP; N = 392; 52 % Female), a multi–method, multi–trait prospective approach, to overcome this limitation. We focused on psychological intimate partner violence in both emerging adulthood (19 – 23 years) and adulthood (27 – 31 years), and include self and partner ratings of violence as well as observational data in a sample of rural non-Hispanic white families. Controlling for a host of individual risk factors as well as interparental psychological violence from adolescence (14 – 15 years), the results show that exposure to parent–to–child psychological violence during adolescence is a key predictor of intimate partner violence throughout adulthood. In addition, negative emotionality and the number of sexual partners in adolescence predicted intimate partner violence in both emerging adulthood and adulthood. Exposure to family stress was associated positively with intimate partner violence in adulthood but not in emerging adulthood, whereas academic difficulties were found to increase violence in emerging adulthood only. Unlike previous research, results did not support a direct effect of interparental psychological violence on psychological violence in the next generation. Gender differences were found only in emerging adulthood. Implications of these findings are discussed in light of the current literature and future directions.

IMPRoving Outcomes for children exposed to domestic ViolencE (IMPROVE): an evidence synthesis

“…Two studies 191,192 reported useable data on the relationship between childhood behavioural problems and the victimisation and perpetration of domestic violence. Fergusson et al 191 estimated unstandardised regression coefficients of 0.05 (SE 0.01) and 0.03 (SE 0.01) for the association between conduct problems (age 7-13 years) and victimisation and perpetration, respectively, of intimate partner violence at 25 years of age.…”

“…Lohman et al 192 provided estimates from a structural equation model, which included antisocial behaviour in adolescence as a predictor of intimate partner psychological violence in early and later adulthood. Although the parameter estimates for antisocial behaviour in adolescence were not statistically significant, parameter estimates were reported and are given here.…”

The Role of Difficult Childhood Behaviors on Intimate Partner Violence

“…For example, family stress has previously been shown to be associated with IPV, whether the family stress comes from poverty [59,60], negative emotionality [12], pregnancy [61,62], depression [62], alcohol or substance abuse [62,60] psychopathy [63], criminality [64], job stress [65,66] and low marital satisfaction [63,67,68]. The present findings extend previously published studies of IPV with concurrent family stress to include the observation that family stress can be predictive of later IPV, two years after the family stress was assessed.…”

“…Family stress elicits violence ranging from verbal assault, to shoving a partner, to the use of a lethal weapon [11]. Family stress may come from marital discord [12], caregiver depression [13,14], substance abuse in the household [15,16], low economic resources [17], minimal social support [18] and occupational difficulties [19,20]. Research suggests lack of social support, low socio-economic indicators, and educational levels impact relationship distress [21], as well as IPV prevalence [22].…”

The Influence of Parental Aggression and Cultural Gender Role Beliefs on Hispanic College Women's Experiences with Psychological Aggression

“…Indeed, research over the past two decades has consistently shown that women tend to be more likely than men to use this tactic in conflict with significant others, increasing the likelihood of male victimization (Harned, 2001;Hines & Saudino, 2003;Lohman, Neppl, Senia, & Schofield, 2013;Schnurr et al, 2013;Stockdale, Tackett, & Coyne, 2013). Recent studies have consistently shown that women use psychological aggression more than any other aggressive tactic in their intimate relationships (Dowd, Leisring & Rosenbaum, 2005;Harned, 2001;Straus & Sweet, 1992), with as many as 86% of heterosexual college women have reported perpetrating psychological aggression in their intimate relationships on at least one occasion (Hines & Saudino, 2003).…”