Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Jul 1;5(3):246-255.
doi: 10.1037/a0037956.

Does Child Abuse and Neglect Increase Risk for Perpetration of Violence Inside and Outside the Home?

Izabela Milaniak  1 , Cathy Spatz Widom  1
Affiliations

Does Child Abuse and Neglect Increase Risk for Perpetration of Violence Inside and Outside the Home?

Izabela Milaniak et al. Psychol Violence. .

Abstract

Objective: To examine the extent to which abused and neglected children perpetrate three different types of violence within and outside the home: criminal, child abuse, and intimate partner violence and determine whether childhood maltreatment leads to an increased risk for poly-violence perpetration.

Method: Using data from a prospective cohort design study, children (ages 0-11) with documented histories of physical and sexual abuse and/or neglect (n = 676) were matched with children without such histories (n = 520) and assessed in young adulthood (average age 29). Official criminal records in conjunction with self-report data were used to assess violent outcomes.

Results: Compared to the control group, individuals with histories of child abuse and/or neglect were significantly more likely to be poly-violence perpetrators, perpetrating violence in all three domains (relative risk = 1.26). All forms of childhood maltreatment (physical and sexual abuse and neglect) significantly predicted poly-violence perpetration.

Conclusions: These findings expand the cycle of violence literature by combining the distinct literatures on criminal violence, child abuse, and partner violence to call attention to the phenomenon of poly-violence perpetration by maltreated children. Future research should examine the characteristics of maltreated children who become poly-violence perpetrators and mechanisms that lead to these outcomes.

Keywords: Child abuse and neglect; criminal violence; cycle of violence; domestic violence; intergenerational transmission; poly-violence perpetration.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1A
Figure 1A. Abused and Neglected Group
Figure 1A shows the extent of overlap in types of violent outcomes for individuals with documented histories of child abuse and neglect.
Figure 1B
Figure 1B. Control Group
Figure 1B shows the overlap in type of violent outcomes for individuals without documented histories of child abuse and neglect (the control group).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Adler NE, Boyce T, Chesney MA, Cohen S, Folkman S, Kahn RL, Syme SL. Socioeconomic status and health: The challenge of the gradient. American Psychologist. 1994;49(1):15–24. - PubMed
    1. Afifi TO, MacMillan HL. Resilience following child maltreatment: A review of protective factors. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. 2011;56(5):266–272. - PubMed
    1. Agnew R. Foundation for a general strain theory of crime and delinquency. Criminology. 1992;30:47–87.
    1. Altemeier WA, O'Connor S, Sherrod KB, Tucker D, Vietze P. Outcome of abuse during childhood among pregnant low income women. Child Abuse & Neglect. 1986;10(3):319–330. - PubMed
    1. Bandura A. Aggression: A social learning analysis. Prentice-Hall; Englewood Cliffs, NJ: 1973.

LinkOut - more resources