Overlapping Violence: Understanding the Complex Relationship Among Domestic Violence, Child Maltreatment and Criminal Offending

Abstract

Over the past few decades, there has been an increased awareness of the co-occurrence of domestic violence (DV) with child maltreatment and criminal offending. This growing awareness of the complexity of violence occurring within families has brought attention to the fragmented nature of the systems that respond to these forms of violence. Specifically, the civil justice system, the criminal justice system, and the welfare system have traditionally operated independently with opposing procedural, professional, and philosophical frameworks. Additionally, the lack of longitudinal population-based research has impeded the understanding of the intricate relationship between DV, child maltreatment, and criminal offending. Guided by multiple theoretical frameworks including developmental systems theory, developmental and life-course criminology, and cumulative disadvantage, the aim of this thesis was to examine the contact DV victims and DV perpetrators have with the systems that respond to child maltreatment and criminal offending. This aim was addressed through four unique but interrelated studies, each focusing on a specific form of co-occurrence of violence with DV. Each study addressed a primary research question: Study One: What experience do individuals involved with domestic violence (as either a victim or perpetrator) have with child maltreatment victimisation? Study Two: What experience do individuals involved with domestic violence (as either a victim or perpetrator) have with criminal offending? Study Three: What experience do individuals involved with domestic violence (as either a victim or perpetrator) have with perpetrating child maltreatment? Study Four: What are the overlaps of being involved in domestic violence (as a victim and perpetrator), child maltreatment (as a victim and perpetrator), and criminal offending? The overarching aim and research questions of this thesis were addressed through the use of population-based linked administrative data from the Queensland Cross-sector Research Collaboration (QCRC). These data originate from the Queensland government departments that respond to DV, child maltreatment, and criminal offending, and includes all individuals born in Queensland in 1983 and 1984 who were aged 30 years at the time of data extraction. Study One focused on the intergenerational transmission of violence in the family through the examination of the overlap of being a victim of child maltreatment and having later involvement with DV (as either a perpetrator or victim). This study identified a significant overlap between individuals who experienced child maltreatment victimisation and DV. Additionally, the frequency, type, and timing of violence differed between individuals who experienced either DV or child maltreatment when compared to those who experienced both forms of violence. Study Two aimed to determine the specificity or generality of offending by DV perpetrators. Furthermore, the co-occurrence between DV victimisation and criminal offending was explored. A significant overlap was identified between being a perpetrator of DV and a criminal offender, highlighting that DV perpetrators are more general in their violence and deviance. Further, a significant overlap was identified between being a victim of DV and a criminal offender. Again, differences were found for the frequency, type, and timing of violence and deviance between individuals who experienced either DV or criminal offending and those who experienced both. In Study Three, there was an examination of the overlap between individuals involved with DV (as either a perpetrator or victim) and the perpetration of child maltreatment. A significant overlap was found between the two types of violence, with a difference being found for the frequency, type, and timing of the violence between those who were involved with either DV or child maltreatment perpetration and those involved with both. Lastly, Study Four combined the previous studies and aimed to identify the involvement of individuals across the multiple forms of DV (as a perpetrator and a victim), child maltreatment (as a perpetrator and a victim), and criminal offending. Findings showed that not only did a substantial number of individuals have contact with the service systems but that there was a considerable number of individuals that had multiple types of involvement with these systems. For all four studies, the co-occurrence of system contacts was significantly impacted by both race (Indigenous Australian versus non-Indigenous Australian) and gender. The studies of this thesis highlight the significant co-occurrence and complexity of experiencing multiple types of violence. These findings demonstrate the need for holistic and collaborative responses by service systems for individuals experiencing DV, child maltreatment, and criminal offending. Further implications of the results of this research for policy, practice, theory, and future research are discussed at the conclusion of this thesis.