(PS4-D86) Does Childhood Psychological or Physical Maltreatment by Mothers or Fathers Predict Subsequent Intimate Partner Violence in Romantic Relationships?

Introduction:

The State Child Protective Services (2019) received an estimated 4.4 million referrals involving the alleged maltreatment and the majority of perpetrators (77.5 percent) were parents. Childhood maltreatment is associated with many adverse adulthood behavioral health problems (e.g., anxiety and depressive symptoms,  risky sexual behavior, suicidal ideation and attempts, PTSD, and substance use), as well as with risk for revictimization and perpetrating psychological and physical intimate partner violence (IPV) in romantic relationships. However, the extant literature is mixed concerning the differential effects of maltreatment source (e.g., moms vs. dads) and nature (e.g., psychological vs. physical) on risk for revictimization and abuse perpetration in romantic relationships. Therefore, this study investigates moderation effects of maltreatment source and type as well as source on links between childhood maltreatment and risk for romantic partner revictimization and abuse perpetration in a college-aged adult sample.

Method:

A diverse sample of undergraduate students [N= 715, Mage= 19.71, 77% female] including 63% Caucasian, 20% Black, 4.7% Middle Eastern, 4% Biracial, 4% LatinX, 0.5% Native American, 0.3% South Asian/East Indian reported on several measures in an online survey. The Composite Abuse Scale-Revised (CBSR) was used to measure IPV victimization and perpetration. Psychological and Physical Maltreatment Scales (PPMS) assessed childhood physical and psychological maltreatment by both mothers and fathers.

Results:

The first-order effects of childhood maltreatment scores (b=0.24; p</span>< .001), maltreatment source, and type significantly predicted elevated IPV perpetration levels: physical maltreatment was more pernicious than psychological (b=2.35; p</span>< .001), as was fathers’ perpetration relative to mothers’ (b=0.35; p< .001). A significant second-order effect also emerged between childhood maltreatment scores and maltreatment type (b=.56; p=.012):  physical maltreatment (b=0.75) predicted more IPV perpetration than psychological maltreatment (b=0.19) at similar childhood maltreatment levels.  However, a third-order effect involving maltreatment level, type and source was not significant.

Similarly, the first-order effects of childhood maltreatment (b=0.25; p< .001), maltreatment source, and type significantly predicted elevated IPV perpetration levels: physical maltreatment was more pernicious than psychological (b=2.40; p< .001) as was fathers’ perpetration relative to mothers’ (b=0.36; p< .001). However, neither the two-way nor three-way interactions between source (mothers vs fathers), type (physical vs psychological) and childhood maltreatment predicted IPV victimization.

Discussion:

The study highlights how childhood maltreatment has a deleterious association with re-victimization and perpetration of abuse in subsequent romantic relationships. Physical type and maltreatment by fathers had worse influence and predicted higher IPV victimization and perpetration. These findings can be incorporated by cognitive-behavioral therapists while treating victims and perpetrators of IPV by possibly tracing and targeting childhood maltreatment history.