Gender Differences in Child Maltreatment Predictors of Physical Intimate Partner Violence Victimization: a Study Among Australian Adults

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Purpose Experiences of child abuse and neglect are widely acknowledged to be associated with increased risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization in adulthood. This study examines whether the association between childhood abuse and neglect experiences and adult IPV victimization differs for males and females. It then goes on to examine which specific types of childhood experiences of abuse and neglect are associated with adult physical IPV victimization. Methods The study draws on data collected as part of an ongoing Australian prospective, longitudinal study of mothers and their offspring. Logistic regression models were estimated, and model coefficient comparisons were conducted. The association between specific types of childhood experiences of abuse and neglect and adult physical IPV victimization were examined. Results Analyses showed that the associations between childhood experiences of abuse and neglect and adult IPV victimization varied by gender. For females, two types of abuse (sexual and emotional) and one type of neglect (emotional) during childhood were significantly associated with physical IPV victimization in adulthood. In contrast, for males, it was their experiences of physical abuse and physical neglect that were associated with physical IPV victimization in adulthood. Conclusion Emotional and sexual abuse and emotional neglect in childhood is significantly associated with subsequent physical IPV victimization for females, whereas childhood physical abuse and neglect is significantly associated with subsequent physical IPV victimization for males. This suggests that females and males may be affected differently by those abuse and neglect experiences in childhood, and further exploration of how this occurs will yield valuable insight into why females and males have different pathways to victimization.