Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence in Childhood and Partner Violence Perpetration in Adulthood: The Mediating Role of Aggression

ABSTRACT

Although different studies have found that exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) in childhood is linked to IPV perpetration in adulthood, others have revealed null effects. Previous research has also found that some factors might mediate the relationship between exposure to IPV in childhood and later IPV perpetration. As far as we know, no studies examined the role of aggression in this relationship. This study aimed to analyze the link between exposure to IPV in childhood and IPV perpetration in adulthood and verify whether this relationship was mediated by aggression and its components (verbal and physical aggression, anger, and hostility). Two hundred and forty five men convicted of domestic violence, from prison and community, were recruited. Correlation analysis revealed a positive link between exposure to IPV in childhood, aggression traits, and specifically physical aggression, and IPV frequency in adulthood. Overall aggression traits and physical aggression traits were statistically significant mediator variables explaining almost 15% of the overall effect of exposure to IPV in childhood on overall IPV frequency in adulthood. These findings unravel the role of aggression in the perpetration of physical and total IPV, claiming our attention to the need to include strategies to increase emotion regulation and problem-solving strategies in intervention programs.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical statement

All procedures performed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional ethics committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments. The current study is part of a research project approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Minho (SECSH 008/2018)

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Data availability statement

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to confidentiality of the data but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was conducted at HEI-Lab: Digital Human-Environment Interaction Lab, Lusófona University, and supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology – FCT (Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education), under the grant UIDB/05380/2020. This work was also conducted at the Psychology Research Centre (PSI/01662), School of Psychology, University of Minho, supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the Portuguese State Budget (Ref.: UIDB/PSI/01662/2020). The study was also supported by Grant SFRH/BD/66110/2009 from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology awarded to the first author.

Notes on contributors

Olga Cunha

Olga Cunha, PhD, is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Psychology, Education, and Sports, Lusófona University, Porto, Portugal, and a researcher at the Hei Lab: Digital Human-Environment Interaction Lab.

Ana Rita Cruz

Ana Rita Cruz, PhD, is an assistant professor at School of Psychology and Life Sciences, Lusófona University, Lisbon, Portugal, and a researcher at the Hei Lab: Digital Human-Environment Interaction Lab.

Andreia de Castro Rodrigues

Andreia de Castro Rodrigues, PhD, is an assistant professor at ISPA – University Institute (Lisboa), Portugal and a researcher at the William James Center for Research.

Rui Abrunhosa Gonçalves

Rui Abrunhosa Gonçalves, PhD, is an associate professor at the School of Psychology, University of Minho, Portugal, and a researcher at Research Center on Psychology (CIPsi).

Maria Manuela Peixoto

Maria Manuela Peixoto, PhD, is a researcher at Center for Psychology at the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.