U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Effects of Physical and Emotional Child Abuse and Its Chronicity on Crime Into Adulthood

NCJ Number
249579
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 30 Issue: 6 Dated: 2015 Pages: 1004-1018
Date Published
December 2015
Length
15 pages
Annotation

This study tested hypotheses that pertain to direct and indirect effects of parent-reported physical and emotional abuse on later self-reported criminal behavior in a sample of 356 adults in a longitudinal study of more than 30 years; childhood antisocial behavior was included in analyses as a potential mediator.

Abstract

The study found that physical abuse predicted only adult crime indirectly through childhood antisocial behavior; whereas, emotional abuse predicted adult outcome both directly and indirectly. Chronicity of physical abuse was indirectly related to later crime in a subsample test for those who had been physically abused (n = 318); whereas, chronicity of emotional abuse was neither directly nor indirectly related to adult crime in a test of those who had been emotionally abused (n = 225). Implications for future research and practice are discussed. (Publisher abstract modified)

Date Published: December 1, 2015