A meta-analysis of interparental aggression with adolescent and young adult physical and psychological dating aggression.

Abstract

Objective: As described by the intergenerational transmission and relationship continuity frameworks, witnessing aggression between one's parents is theoretically related to aggressive experiences in subsequent dating relationships. This article aims to summarize this body of research to estimate the true effect of the association between interparental aggression and dating aggression (DA) in adolescents and young adults. Method: Using meta-analytic procedures, 70 records (98 unique samples) were synthesized to provide a global effect size of the association between witnessing interparental aggression and perpetration and victimization of DA in adolescence and young adulthood. A total of 36,874 individuals provided 336 effect sizes. Results: Consistent with prior meta-analyses with adults, the overall global effect was small (r ϭ .164). A smaller association was present for psychological DA victimization compared with physical DA perpetration, physical DA victimization, and combined physical and psychological DA perpetration; there was no difference between physical DA perpetration and victimization or psychological DA perpetration and victimization. Witnessing both physical and psychological aggression by either fathers or mothers was more strongly associated with DA than witnessing paternal psychological aggression. The association was smaller for prospective reports of interparental aggression compared with retrospective report. Results were consistent across youth gender and age. Conclusion: These results demonstrate the importance of early interparental aggressive actions in understanding subsequent aggressive romantic interactions. Subsequent work should continue to investigate other factors that may further explain DA at these ages.

Exploring risk and protective factors for adolescent dating violence across the social-ecological model: A systematic scoping review of reviews

“…Ten of the 20 articles identified risk factors at only one level of the social-ecological model for either perpetration or victimization ( 22 , 43 , 44 , 50 , 52 – 57 ). Of those, three identified factors exclusively at the individual level ( 44 , 50 , 55 ), five at the relationship level ( 22 , 43 , 52 , 53 , 56 ), one at the community level ( 46 ), and one at the societal level ( 47 ).…”

“…Family risk factors were noted in eight articles. Of these, the majority included exposure to and/or experiencing parental violence ( 20 , 43 , 45 , 47 , 49 , 52 , 53 , 57 ). Other family risk factors centered around parenting-related factors (e.g., poor boundaries, unskilled parenting, parental monitoring, negative parent–child interactions, aversive communication, etc.).…”

A Meta-Analysis Linking Parent-to-Child Aggression and Dating Abuse During Adolescence and Young Adulthood

“…Previous studies have also lacked exploration of study design effects as related to both parent-to-child aggression and DA. One exception found evidence of significant differences between prospective and retrospective reports of interparental aggression, with retrospective reports yielding stronger effect sizes (Goncy, 2019). This analysis will expand on this finding to examine measurement effects, such as timing of measurement and measure used, to see whether these results are mirrored for reports of parent-to-child aggression.…”

“…Former reviews analyzing the association between parent-to-child aggression and abuse in later marital or committed relationships have consistently found small to moderate associations (Goncy, 2019; Hébert et al, 2017; Smith-Marek et al, 2015; Spencer et al, 2019; Stith et al, 2000). However, these reviews have limited scope and interpretation.…”

“…These reviews established the relation between child abuse (i.e., parent-to-child aggression) and intimate partner violence in adult populations with several limited to spousal or cohabitating relationships (i.e., Spencer et al, 2019; Stith et al, 2000). Two exceptions to the adult-biased literature investigated adolescent and young adult DA but focused on either solely DA victimization (Hébert et al, 2017) or interparental aggression as a predictor of DA (Goncy, 2019). Therefore, a gap exists in the meta-analytic literature regarding the association between parent-to-child aggression and adolescent and young adult DA perpetration and victimization.…”