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Abstract
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OBJECTIVE: To examine the extent to which abused and neglected children perpetrate 3 different types of violence within and outside the home (criminal violence, 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 with 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 3 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.
Language: en |