Being silenced, loneliness and being heard: understanding pathways to intimate partner violence & abuse in young adults. a mixed-methods study

Abstract

Background International research shows the significance and impact of intimate partner violence and abuse (IPVA) as a public health issue for young adults. There is a lack of qualitative research exploring pathways to IPVA. Methods The current mixed-methods study used qualitative interviews and analysis of longitudinal cohort data, to explore experiences of pathways to IPVA. Semi-structured Interviews alongside Life History Calendars were undertaken to explore 17 young women’s (19–25 years) experiences and perceptions of pathways to IPVA in their relationships. Thematic analysis was undertaken. Based on themes identified in the qualitative analysis, quantitative analysis was conducted in data from 2127 female and 1145 male participants of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) birth cohort study. We fitted regression models to assess the association of child maltreatment, parental domestic violence, and peer-to-peer victimisation, by age 12, with loneliness during adolescence (ages 13–14), and the association of loneliness during adolescence with IPVA (age 18–21). Mediation analysis estimated the direct effects of maltreatment on IPVA, and indirect effects through loneliness. Findings All women interviewed experienced at least one type of maltreatment, parental domestic violence, or bullying during childhood. Nearly all experienced IPVA and most had been multi-victimised. Findings indicated a circular pathway: early trauma led to isolation and loneliness, negative labelling and being silenced through negative responses to help seeking, leading to increased experiences of loneliness and intensifying vulnerability to further violence and abuse in young adulthood. The pathway was compounded by intersectionality. Potential ways to break this cycle of loneliness included being heard and supported, especially by teachers. Quantitative analysis confirmed an association between child maltreatment and loneliness in adolescence, and an association between loneliness in adolescence and experience of IPVA in young adult relationships. Conclusion It is likely that negative labelling and loneliness mediate pathways to IPVA, especially among more disadvantaged young women. The impact of early maltreatment on young people’s wellbeing and own relationships is compounded by disadvantage, disability and ethnicity. Participants’ resilience was enabled by support in the community.

What Helps Young People in Australia Create Healthy Relationships After Growing up in Domestic Violence?

“…The effects of DV on children's wellbeing and social development have been widely researched and documented (Barnes et al, 2022;Campo, 2015;Forke, 2019;Graham-Bermann et al, 2009;Øverlien, 2017). Further, it is recognised that children raised in DV can face psychosocial challenges and developmental hurdles because of their childhood experiences (Fellin et al, 2019).…”

“…Further, Kitzmann et al (2003), in their seminal meta-analytical review, analysed 118 studies of children exposed to DV and found that 33% of the children had wellbeing scores comparable with, or better than, other children. Children's ages, gender, coping abilities and supports in the societal context have been found to influence the outcomes associated with growing up in DV (Barnes et al, 2022;Clements et al, 2008;Yule et al, 2019). Research indicates that the extent to which children are able to cope with DV is linked to their mothers' capacity to maintain close relationships and protect their children as well as they can (Buchanan, 2018;Winfield et al, 2023).…”

Child sexual exploitation and abuse disclosure and help‐seeking: A glimpse of global South data

“…The reasons for nondisclosure of sexual violence among children have been investigated for some time (Alaggia et al, 2019; Reitsema & Grietens, 2016; Tener & Murphy, 2015). These include studies that address the process and pathways of disclosure (Alaggia, 2010; Barnes et al, 2022; Staller & Nelson‐Gardell, 2005) and identify barriers to disclosure such as stigma and shame (Delker et al, 2020; Halvorsen et al, 2020; Kennedy & Prock, 2018; Morrison et al, 2018; Verelst et al, 2014). Recent investigations have explored adult survivors' perspectives (Solberg et al, 2021) and young people's perspectives (Landberg et al, 2022) as well as the perspectives of parents whose children have disclosed sexual violence (McElvaney & Nixon, 2020).…”

Gynecological health and uptake of gynecological care after domestic or sexual violence: a qualitative study in an emergency shelter

“…Since 2017, the international Metoo movement has contributed to freeing women's voices about sexual violence [1][2][3]. However, domestic or sexual violence is still difficult to verbalize for survivors and associated with a lack of social and emotional support [4][5][6][7]. A controlled trial in the US showed that following sexual assault, survivors were more reduced to silence and stigmatized than after physical violence [8].…”