Effect of perceived parent child relations on adjustment of young women exposed to mutual intimate partner violence during childhood

Abstract

Abstract Objective We sought to show that the adjustment of young women who witnessed mutual intimate partner violence (IPV) as children is influenced by their current perceptions of relations with their parents. Method Our sample comprised 793 young female French university students, 623 of whom had been exposed to IPV during childhood. Of these, 289 had witnessed severe violence and 334 minor violence. All participants completed an online battery assessing perceived IPV (CTS2-CA), perceived parent-child relations (QERPE), predisposition to aggression (Aggression Questionnaire), and anxious and depressive symptomatology (HADS). Results Results revealed that young women with IPV exposure exhibited a higher level of anxiety than those with no such exposure, and perceived their relations with their parents more negatively. Those who had witnessed severe, as opposed to minor, violence displayed higher levels of anxiety, depression and aggression. They also had more negative perceptions of their relations with their parents. More generally, perceived maternal rejection was a decisive factor for the presence of internalizing and/or externalizing problems among participants with IPV exposure. Conclusion Where there is a history of mutual IPV, the quality of parent-child relations has a major impact on young women's adjustment. We discuss the study's limitations, as well as prospects for future research.