Exposure to Domestic Violence during Adolescence: Coping Strategies and Attachment Styles as Early Moderators and their Relationship to Functioning during Adulthood.

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the impact of exposure to domestic violence during adolescence on an individual's psychological health, ability to regulate emotions, and sense of satisfaction with life, during adulthood. Additionally, it aimed to investigate the long-term role of different coping strategies and attachment with primary caregiver, during adolescence, as potential moderators in the relationship between severity of domestic violence exposure during adolescence and an individual's functioning during adulthood. A total of 218 adult participants completed measures regarding exposure to domestic violence, engagement in coping strategies, and attachment with primary caregiver, during adolescence, and psychological health, ability to regulate emotions, and sense of satisfaction with life, during adulthood. Ninety-two participants reported domestic violence exposure during adolescence. Two-way analyses of variance indicated that participants who were exposed to domestic violence during adolescence were more likely to report negative functioning during adulthood. Correlational analysis indicated that severity of domestic violence exposure during adolescence was positively correlated with engagement in avoidance-focused coping strategies and insecure attachment, during adolescence, and negative functioning during adulthood. Moderation analyses indicated that engagement in avoidance-focused coping strategies and insecure attachment with primary caregiver, during adolescence, moderated the relationship between severity of domestic violence exposure during adolescence and functioning during adulthood, but only in low-moderate severity of exposure to domestic violence. These findings confirm the long-term impact of domestic violence exposure during adolescence on an individual's functioning during adulthood, and provide new information that certain coping strategies and attachment with primary caregiver during adolescence may buffer against the impact.