Violent Family Heritage, the Transition to Adulthood, and Later Partner Violence

This article applies the age-graded theory of informal social control, an influential theory in the field of criminology, to explain continuity and change in the effect of violent family origins on later partner violence. The theory is tested on a sample of married and/or cohabiting men and women from a nationally representative panel study, in other words, the National Youth Survey. Path analysis indicates that among men, commitment to their partner and work during young adulthood mediates the effect of violent family heritage on later partner violence. Thus, these commitments represent the possibility of change for those on violent pathways. Regarding continuity in intergenerational transmission, the effects of adolescent violence on later partner violence are particularly strong for men. Among women, however, such evidence of behavioral continuity and change is limited. Implications for research and policy are discussed.