Not Just Exposure: Intimate Partner Violence Approval Moderates the Impact of Childhood Violence on Dysfunctional Risk Behaviors

Childhood exposure to interpersonal violence is associated with enduring behavioral vulnerabilities in adulthood; however, the role of intimate partner violence (IPV) approval in shaping these outcomes is limited. Guided by social learning theory, this study investigates whether IPV approval moderates the association between childhood exposure to violence and dysfunctional risk behaviors. Data were drawn from the International Dating Violence Study (IDVS), a multinational survey of 17,404 young adults (70.1% women; M age = 22.85, SD = 6.02). Dysfunctional risk behaviors were measured using a 15‑item composite (α > .70), childhood contact with violence using a 10‑item index (α = .71), and IPV approval using a five‑item attitudinal scale. Moderation analyses conducted with PROCESS Macro Model 1, using mean‑centered predictors, revealed a significant overall model, F (10, 17,393) = 1,100.84, p < .001, explaining 38.7% of the variance in dysfunctional risk behaviors. Both childhood violence exposure ( B = 0.462, p < .001) and IPV approval ( B = 0.820, p < .001) were significant predictors, with IPV approval emerging as the strongest. The interaction term was significant ( B = 0.015, p < .001), indicating that IPV approval amplifies the behavioral impact of childhood violence. Simple slopes analyses demonstrated progressive amplification, with the association weakest at low IPV approval and strongest at high levels. These findings identify an attitudinal pathway through which normalized violence compounds developmental harm and underscore the need for trauma‑informed, equity‑centered interventions that address both early adversity and violence-supportive beliefs.