The Relationship Between the Development of General Offending and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration in Young Adulthood.

Janna Verbruggen,Christopher D Maxwell,Amanda L Robinson

doi:10.1177/0886260520922340

Janna Verbruggen, Christopher D Maxwell + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520922340

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Abstract

This study examined how patterns in general offending relate to the occurrence of and likelihood of persistence in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration in young adulthood. The study used longitudinal data from the cohort of 18 year olds from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods study. Self-reported offending was measured in all three waves, and data on IPV were collected in Waves 1 and 3. Group-based trajectory modeling identified three distinct general offending trajectory groups: non-offenders, low-rate offenders, and high-rate offenders. The majority of respondents engaged in psychological IPV perpetration, and half of all young adults reported physical IPV, but prevalence rates decreased over the waves. Binary logistic regression analyses showed that those involved in offending, especially those who showed a diverse offending pattern, were at increased risk of perpetrating psychological and (severe) physical IPV, as well as to show persistence in the different forms of IPV perpetration. The findings highlight an important overlap between general crime and IPV perpetration. In recognition that IPV is often part of a broader pattern of antisocial behavior, interventions should focus on interrupting the criminal careers of all young offenders to reduce the prevalence and harms of IPV.

Highlights

Life-course criminological research has shown that general offending peaks between the late teenage years and early adulthood, and decreases thereafter (Farrington et al, 2008; Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990; Sweeten et al, 2013)
This study used an urban and ethnically diverse sample of young adults to examine the relationship between patterns in the development of general offending and psychological and physical intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration in young adulthood
This study extends the existing literature by illustrating longitudinally how general criminal careers relate to several measures of IPV perpetration, including psychological IPV and persistence in IPV perpetration

Summary

Introduction

Life-course criminological research has shown that general offending peaks between the late teenage years and early adulthood, and decreases thereafter (Farrington et al, 2008; Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990; Sweeten et al, 2013). Theory and research on the development of offending has largely focused on general offending or “street” crime. Specific and less visible crime types, such as intimate partner violence (IPV), are rarely included in models of general offending (Piquero et al, 2014). This gap is in part because research about IPV perpetration has often used cross-sectional designs, and the relatively small body of research taking a longitudinal approach to study IPV perpetration has developed largely separate from life-course criminological research on general offending.

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