Do human capital investments mediate the intergenerational transmission of domestic violence?

Abstract

Background Domestic violence is a major public health issue worldwide with detrimental consequences not only for its victims but also for the next generations. Despite an extensive literature documenting the persistent intergenerational transmission of domestic violence, few studies explore the mechanisms underlying this transmission. Methods We use data from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey implemented between 1984 and 2009 in the Philippines. These longitudinal data allow us to measure how much the association between witnessing parental violence during childhood and the experience of intimate partner violence in young adulthood is explained by different measures of human capital that occur up to young adulthood, including education and health outcomes, cognitive skills, and psychosocial traits. Results We find that these human capital measures explain 22 percent of the transmission of domestic violence. Our results indicate that depression at age 18 and cognitive ability at age 11 are the primary human capital channels. Conclusions Our findings suggest a potential role of interventions targeting these human capital investments in reducing the cycle of violence across generations, as such, it could expand the window of opportunity for effective interventions in developing countries.

Family Relationships in the Context of Marital Violence: A Constructivist Grounded Theory

“…The results of this study also reinforce that the problem of marital violence will remain frequent as long as attention is not directed beyond the women who suffer it, as the consequences of this experience spread to all family members, mainly the children. Regarding this aspect, some studies indicate that the following stand out among the main harms for children as consequences associated with domestic violence in childhood: depression, anxiety, social isolation, exhaustion, poor school performance, attention and thinking problems, aggressive behaviors, repetition of violent patterns, delinquency and substance abuse 23,24,25 . In addition to the physical and psychoemotional consequences, violence affects the offspring, especially children, in their bonds with their parents, where the protective maternal function is weakened and the paternal function is not fulfilled 26 .…”

“…In this sense, for children, breaking away from the violence suffered provides the opportunity to confer new meaning to what they have experienced, in order to avoid the reproduction of situations of violence in the future. To transform this reality, it is opportune to draw the managers' attention regarding their responsibility and incorporation of the strategies proposed by the Network to Combat Violence [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] .…”

Methylation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) in dyads mother-child exposed to intimate partner violence in Cameroon: Association with anxiety symptoms

“…IPV is associated with a wide range of physical and psychological symptoms for women and their children such as injuries, anxiety, depression, chronic pain or post-traumatic stress disorder [ 4 , 5 ]. The effects of IPV are not limited to poor physical and mental health of direct victims [ 6 , 7 ] but also have important overwhelming economic burden on society in terms of direct and indirect costs related to health care services, social rehabilitation programs, and adult/juvenile crime [ 8 ].…”

Descortinando as relações familiares a partir do contexto de violênciadoméstica: uma Teoria Fundamentada nos Dados

“…A violência doméstica (VD) continua sendo o evento mais comum de violência contra as mulheres e representa grande ameaça à saúde pública. As consequências prejudiciais envolvem não apenas as mulheres, mas também coloca em risco todo o sistema familiar e sua organização, que é indispensável para seu desenvolvimento e funcionalidade adequados (1) .…”

“…Atinente a isso, autores que buscam compreender as complexidades que permeiam o fenômeno da VD têm evidenciado um caráter intergeracional que envolve tanto a mulher como o agressor, caracterizado pela reprodução histórica da violência, que se inicia na infância e/ou adolescência e se perpetua na vida adulta. Tal reprodução reiterada ocorre com base em comportamentos e valores aprendidos, os quais são naturalizados entre os diferentes grupos sociais, principalmente a família (1) .…”