Intergenerational Transmission of Violence: The Influence of Self-Appraisals, Mental Disorders and Substance Abuse

• NCJ Number: 228689
• Journal: Journal of Family Violence Volume: 24 Issue: 8 Dated: November 2009 Pages: 639-648
• Author(s): Jason B. Whiting; Leigh Ann Simmons; Jennifer R. Havens; Douglas B. Smith; Megan Oka
• Date Published: November 2009
• Length: 10 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Using data from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) 1990-92, this study examined whether there were mediating personal factors (self-appraisals and mental/substance-use disorders) that determined whether or not a person who had experienced childhood abuse was involved in a violent intimate relationship as an adult.

Abstract

The study found that adults with a history of childhood abuse and intimate partner violence (IPV) as an adult reported greater disruptions in their self-appraisals and greater likelihood of mental and substance abuse disorders than adults with no history of IPV. Those who had experienced IPV were more likely than those who had not to be dependent on others, more enmeshed with others, more insecure, and have lower self-esteem. They were also more likely to have depression, anxiety, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and alcohol and substance abuse problems; however, only three variables emerged as independent predictors of adult IPV, i.e., low self-esteem, past-year PTSD, and past-year alcohol dependence. These findings are consistent with research that has found children who are exposed to interparental violence are more likely to experience low self-esteem, alcohol and drug use, and trauma-related symptoms such as anxiety and sleep disturbance in later life (Choice et al., 1995; Silvern et al., 1995). Other studies have found high rates of low self-esteem in both female victims and male perpetrators of IPV (Boney-McCoy and Sugarman, 1999; Logan et al., 2006). These findings suggest that practitioners who are working with clients presenting with low self-esteem, PTSD, or substance abuse should assess for abuse in either past or current relationships. Also, individuals who have been abused may have issues of self-worth or self-esteem that should be addressed. The NCS, despite the age of the data, is the only nationally representative dataset of its kind that includes variables pertinent to this study. 4 tables and 70 references