Peer-reviewed article
The impact of exposure to parental intimate partner violence on adolescent precocious transitions to adulthood.
Avanti Adhia, Linda M Drolette, Ann Vander Stoep, Esteban J Valencia, Mary A Kernic ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined whether children exposed to parental intimate partner violence (IPV) are more likely to experience early transitions to adulthood, such as leaving home early, early sexual activity, early marriage, early parenthood, early full-time work, and high school dropout. Using data from over 33,000 US adults, researchers found that those exposed to parental IPV in childhood had significantly higher risks of all six precocious transitions. The effects were generally stronger for girls than boys, and greater exposure to more frequent or severe IPV increased the risks further.
Key points
- Children exposed to parental IPV had higher risk of early sex, high school dropout, early full-time employment, early marriage, and early parenthood
- Effects were stronger for females than males for early sex and early full-time work outcomes
- More frequent or more severe parental IPV exposure was associated with even higher risk of precocious transitions
- Study used a large national sample of 33,360 US adults aged 18 and older
- Findings suggest need for interventions to prevent adverse outcomes in adolescence for IPV-exposed children
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional retrospective study using adult self-reports of childhood IPV exposure, so causality cannot be definitively established and recall bias may affect accuracy. The study cannot identify specific mechanisms through which IPV exposure leads to precocious transitions.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Precocious transitions can create stress by placing excessive demands on adolescents and are associated with adverse outcomes that extend into adulthood. The current study assessed whether exposure to parental intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with adolescent precocious transitions to adulthood. METHODS: Data come from 33,360 individuals aged 18+ years in the United States who participated in the National Epidemiologic Surveys of Alcohol and Related Conditions. Six precocious transitions (leaving home early, early sex, early marriage, early parenthood, early full-time employment, and dropping out of high school) were examined. Robust Poisson regression was used to calculate relative risks for the association between IPV exposure and each precocious transition, adjusting for confounders. We assessed effect modification by gender and by exposure to childhood abuse or neglect. RESULTS: Participants exposed to IPV in childhood were at higher risk of engaging in early sex; dropping out of high school; entering into early full-time employment; entering into early marriage; and entering into early parenthood relative to participants not exposed to IPV. Significant interactions between gender and exposure to IPV were detected for early sex and early full-time work outcomes, such that the associations were stronger for females compared to males. Participants exposed to more frequent or more severe IPV in childhood were at even higher risk for experiencing precocious transitions. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals exposed to IPV in childhood are more likely to experience precocious transitions to adulthood. Findings highlight the need for interventions to mitigate adverse outcomes in adolescence for children exposed to IPV.