Abstract
Background:
There is uncertainty about the extent to which parental intimate partner violence and abuse (IPVA) increases risk of IPVA in the next generation.
Methods:
Using data from 3,243 families from a UK general population birth cohort, we estimated risks of IPVA among young women and men at age 18-21, according to their parents’ IPVA status by age 18 (overall and by IPVA types).
Findings:
There were null and small positive associations between parental IPVA and young adult IPVA (adjusted relative risks ranged from 0.91 to 1.53), after adjustment for peri-natal parental IPVA and socio-economic factors at birth. Associations were small and positive for victimisation among young women and perpetration among men. The strongest was between parental physical IPVA and perpetration among men (1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10 to 2.10). Physical parental IPVA accounted for 11% of perpetration cases among young men (CI: 3% to 17%). Most of this 11% was represented by young adults who had experienced both parental IPVA and maltreatment during childhood.
Conclusion:
Our data suggest a small positive association between physical parental IPVA and IPVA perpetration among men. Interventions supporting young boys exposed to parental IPVA could reduce the risk of them using violence in their relationships. Services supporting families experiencing domestic violence should consider wider family adversity, since parental IPVA combined with other forms of adversity, particularly child maltreatment, carried the highest risk for intergenerational continuity of IPVA.
Funding:
UK Medical Research Council (MR/S002634/1]).
Declaration of Interest:
The authors declare no competing interests.
Ethical Approval:
Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the ALSPAC Ethics and Law Committee and the Local Research Ethics Committees. Informed consent for the use of data collected via questionnaires and clinics was obtained from participants following the recommendations of the ALSPAC Ethics and Law Committee at the time.
There is uncertainty about the extent to which parental intimate partner violence and abuse (IPVA) increases risk of IPVA in the next generation.
Methods:
Using data from 3,243 families from a UK general population birth cohort, we estimated risks of IPVA among young women and men at age 18-21, according to their parents’ IPVA status by age 18 (overall and by IPVA types).
Findings:
There were null and small positive associations between parental IPVA and young adult IPVA (adjusted relative risks ranged from 0.91 to 1.53), after adjustment for peri-natal parental IPVA and socio-economic factors at birth. Associations were small and positive for victimisation among young women and perpetration among men. The strongest was between parental physical IPVA and perpetration among men (1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10 to 2.10). Physical parental IPVA accounted for 11% of perpetration cases among young men (CI: 3% to 17%). Most of this 11% was represented by young adults who had experienced both parental IPVA and maltreatment during childhood.
Conclusion:
Our data suggest a small positive association between physical parental IPVA and IPVA perpetration among men. Interventions supporting young boys exposed to parental IPVA could reduce the risk of them using violence in their relationships. Services supporting families experiencing domestic violence should consider wider family adversity, since parental IPVA combined with other forms of adversity, particularly child maltreatment, carried the highest risk for intergenerational continuity of IPVA.
Funding:
UK Medical Research Council (MR/S002634/1]).
Declaration of Interest:
The authors declare no competing interests.
Ethical Approval:
Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the ALSPAC Ethics and Law Committee and the Local Research Ethics Committees. Informed consent for the use of data collected via questionnaires and clinics was obtained from participants following the recommendations of the ALSPAC Ethics and Law Committee at the time.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | The Lancet Regional Health - Europe |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 1 Mar 2025 |
Research Groups and Themes
- ALSPAC
