Children’s Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence and Early Delinquency

Abstract

Children who experience trauma due to exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) have been shown to exhibit higher than average rates of cognitive, psychological, and emotional impairments. Our research uses the first five waves of the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study to examine the effects of exposure to intimate partner violence in early childhood (as measured by their mothers’ experiences with physical violence and economic abuse) on delinquency at age nine . It also investigates whether these effects are mediated by parental involvement and exposure to child neglect and physical punishment. Results indicate that children’s exposure to IPV at Year 1 and Year 3 had direct effects on their tendency toward delinquent behavior at Year 9, and that parental involvement, child neglect, and physical punishment also had significant mediating effects. Given the importance of early delinquency to later achievement, the findings may provide implications for early intervention.