Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence: Gendered and Contextual Effects on Adolescent Interpersonal Violence, Drug Use, and Mental Health Outcomes

• NCJ Number: 235153
• Author(s): Emily M. Wright Ph.D.; Abigail A. Fagan Ph.D.; Courtney A. Crittenden M.S.
• Date Published: July 2011
• Length: 140 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2009-IJ-CX-0043
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

This study sought to build on research that has indicated that intimate partner violence (IPV) increases the likelihood of a range of negative outcomes for children and examine the short- and long-term consequences of IPV while controlling for other relevant experiences, investigate the multi-level nature of exposure to IPV among youth, and explore gender differences in the relationships.

Abstract

The project found that youth exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) were at-risk for negative consequences, but the size of these effects was weaker than found in many prior studies and some of the findings were not consistent with some of the literature related to neighborhood influences. Policy implications stemming from the current project include the need to reduce the prevalence of IPV and provide services to children exposed to IPV to minimize its harmful effects. Although research has indicated that intimate partner violence (IPV) increases the likelihood of a range of negative outcomes for children, few studies have examined the short and long-term consequences of IPV while controlling for other relevant experiences, investigated the multi-level nature of exposure to IPV among youth, or explored gender differences in the relationships. This study sought to aid in this research by examining three questions: 1. What are the direct effects of IPV exposure on youths' interpersonal violence, drug use, and internalizing symptoms? 2. What are the main effects of neighborhood characteristics on rates of youth violence, drug use, and internalizing symptoms? 3. Does the effect of IPV exposure vary across neighborhoods? If so, is the relationship between IPV exposure and youth violence, drug use, and internalizing symptoms conditioned by neighborhood characteristics? Data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) were utilized to answer these questions.