Prior research has established that violence in dating relationships is a serious social problem among adolescents and young adults. Exposure to violence during childhood has been linked to dating violence victimization and perpetration. Also known as the intergenerational transmission of violence, the link between violence during childhood and dating violence has traditionally focused on physical violence. This research examines the relationship between experiencing and perpetrating dating violence and exposure to violence in the family of origin. Specifically, the current research examines gender differences in the relationship between exposure to violence during childhood and physical and psychological abuse perpetration and victimization. Data were collected from a sample of approximately 2,500 college students at two southeastern universities. Findings indicate that childhood exposure to violence is a consistent predictor of involvement in relationships characterized by violence for males and females. The implications of the current research on policy are discussed.
Aberele, C.C., & Littlefield, R.P. (2001). Family functioning and sexual aggression in a sample of college men. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 16, 565-579.
2.
Alexander, P.C., Moore, S., & Alexander, E. (1991). What is transmitted in the intergenerational transmission of violence? Journal of Marriage and Family, 53, 657-668.
3.
Avakame, E.F. (1998a). Intergenerational transmission of violence and psychological aggression against wives. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 30, 193-202.
4.
Avakame, E.F. (1998b). Intergenerational transmission of violence, self-control, and conjugal violence: A comparative analysis of physical violence and psychological aggression. Violence and Victims, 13, 301-316.
5.
Bergman, L. (1992). Dating violence among high school students. Social Work, 37, 21-27.
6.
Bernard, J.L., Bernard, S.L., & Bernard, M.L. (1985). Courtship violence and sex-typing. Family Relations, 34, 573-576.
7.
Carr, J., & VanDeusen, K.M. (2002). The relationship between family of origin violence and dating violence in college men. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 17, 630-646.
8.
Cercone, J.J., Beach, S.R.H., & Arias, I. (2005). Gender symmetry in dating intimate partner violence: Does similar behavior imply similar constructs? Violence and Victims, 20, 207-218.
9.
Chapple, C.L., & Hope, T.L. (2003). An analysis of the self-control and criminal versatility of gang and dating violence offenders. Violence and Victims , 18, 671-690.
10.
Chase, K.A., Treboux, D., & O'Leary, K.D. (2002). Characteristics of high-risk adolescents' dating violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 17, 33-49.
11.
Cleveland, H., Herrera, V.M., & Stuewig, J. (2003). Abusive males and abused females in adolescent relationships: Risk factor similarity and dissimilarity and the role of relationship seriousness. Journal of Family Violence, 18, 325-339.
12.
Coker, A.L., McKeown, R.E., Sanderson, M., Davis, K.E., Valois, R.F., & Huebner, S. (2000). Severe dating violence and quality of life among South Carolina high school students. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 19, 220-227.
13.
DeKeseredy, W.S., & Schwartz, M.D. (1998). Women abuse on campus: Results from the Canadian National Survey. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
14.
Doumas, D., Margolin, G., & John, R.S. (1994). The intergenerational transmission of aggression across three generations. Journal of Family Violence, 9, 157-175.
15.
Foo, L., & Margolin, G. (1995). A multivariate investigation of dating aggression . Journal of Family Violence, 10, 351-377.
16.
Foshee, V.A., Bauman, K.E., & Linder, G.F. (1999). Family violence and the perpetration of adolescent dating violence: Examining social learning and social control processes. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61, 331-342.
17.
Foshee, V.A., Linder, G.F., Bauman, K.E., Langwick, S.A., Arriaga, X.B., & Heath, J.L. (1996). The Safe Dates Project: Theoretical basis, evaluation design, and selected baseline findings. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 12, 39-47.
18.
Gibb, B.E., Abramson, L.Y., & Alloy, L.B. (2004). Emotional maltreatment from parents, verbal peer victimization, and cognitive vulnerability to depression. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 28, 1-21.
19.
Gover, A.R. (2004). Risky lifestyles and dating violence: A theoretical test of violent victimization. Journal of Criminal Justice , 32, 171-180.
20.
Grasmick, H.G., Tittle, C.R., Bursick, R.J., & Arneklev, B.J. (1993). Testing the core empirical implications of Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory of crime. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 30, 5-29.
21.
Graves, K.N., Sechrist, S.M., White, J.W., & Paradise, M.J. (2005). Intimate partner violence perpetrated by college women within the context of a history of victimization . Psychology of Women Quarterly, 29, 278-289.
22.
Hamby, S.L., & Sugarman, D.B. (1999). Acts of psychological aggression against a partner and their relation to physical assault and gender. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61, 959-970.
23.
Hammock, G., & O'Hearn, R. (2002). Psychological aggression in dating relationships: Predictive models for males and females. Violence and Victims , 17, 525-540.
24.
Harned, M.S. (2001). Abused women or abused men? An examination of the context and outcomes of dating violence. Violence and Victims, 16, 269-285.
25.
Harned, M.S. (2002). A multivariate analysis of risk markers for dating violence victimization. Journal of Interpersonal Violence , 17, 1179-1197.
26.
Henton, J., Cate, R., Koval, J., Lloyd, S., & Christopher, F.S. (1983). Romance and violence in dating relationships. Journal of Family Issues, 4, 434-482.
27.
Hindelang, M., Hirschi, T., & Weis, J. (1981). Measuring delinquency. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
28.
Hines, D.A., & Straus, M.A. (2007). Binge drinking and violence against dating partners: The mediating effect of antisocial traits and behaviors in a multinational perspective. Aggressive Behavior, 33, 1-17.
29.
Hirschi, T. (1969). Causes of delinquency. Berkeley : University of California Press.
30.
Jackson, S.M. (1999). Issues in the dating violence research: A review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 4, 233-247.
31.
Jackson, S.M., Cram, F., & Seymour, F.M. (2000). Violence and sexual coercion in high school students' dating relationships. Journal of Family Violence, 15, 23-36.
32.
Jankowski, M.K., Leitenberg, H., Henning, K., & Coffey, P. (1999). Intergenerational transmission of dating aggression as a function of witnessing only same sex parents vs. opposite sex parents vs. both parents as perpetrators of domestic violence. Journal of Family Violence, 14, 267-279.
33.
Johnson, M.P. (1995). Patriarchal terrorism and common couple violence: Two forms of violence against women. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 283-294.
34.
Johnson, M.P., & Ferraro, K. (2000). Research on domestic violence in the 1990s: Making distinctions. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 948-963.
35.
Johnston, M.E. (1988). Correlates of early violence experience among men who are abusive toward female mates. In G. T. Hotaling, D. Finkelhor, J. T. Kirkpatrick, & M. A. Straus (Eds.), Family abuse and its consequences: New directions in research (pp. 192-202). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
36.
Kalmuss, D. (1984). The intergenerational transmission of marital aggression. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 47, 11-19.
37.
Katz, J., Carino, A., & Hilton, A. (2002). Perceived verbal conflict behaviors associated with physical aggression and sexual coercion in dating relationships: A gender-sensitive analysis. Violence and Victims, 17, 93-109.
38.
Kaukinen, C.E. (2002). Adolescent victimization and problem drinking . Violence and Victims, 17, 669-689.
39.
Koss, M.P., & Dinero, T. (1989). Discriminant analyses of risk factors for sexual victimization among a national sample of college students. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 242-250.
40.
Kreiter, S.R., Krowchuk, D.P., Woods, C.R., Sinal, S.H., Lawless, M.R., & DuRant, R.H. (1999). Gender differences in risk behaviors among adolescents who experience date fighting. Pediatrics, 104, 1286-1292.
41.
Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J., Hankla, M., & Stormberg, C.D. (2004). The relationship behavior networks of young adults: A test of the intergenerational transmission of violence hypothesis. Journal of Family Violence, 19, 139-151.
42.
Luthra, R., & Gidycz, C.A. (2006). Dating violence among college men and women: Evaluation of a theoretical model. Journal of Interpersonal Violence , 21, 717-731.
43.
Macmillan, R., & Gartner, R. (1999). When she brings home the bacon: Labor-force participation and the risk of spousal violence against women. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61, 947-958.
44.
Makepeace, J.M. (1981). Courtship violence among college students. Family Relations, 30, 97-102.
45.
Makepeace, J.M. (1987). Social factor and victim-offender differences in courtship violence. Family Relations, 36, 87-91.
46.
Malik, S., Sorenson, S.B., & Aneshensel, C.S. (1997). Community and dating violence among adolescents: Perpetration and victimization. Journal of Adolescent Health, 21, 291-302.
47.
Marshall, L.L., & Rose, P. (1988). Family of origin violence and courtship abuse . Journal of Counseling and Development, 66, 414-418.
48.
Messman-Moore, T.L., Long, P.J., & Siegfried, N.J. (2000). The revictimization of child sexual abuse survivors: An examination of the adjustment of college women with child sexual abuse, adult sexual assault, and adult physical abuse . Child Maltreatment, 5, 18-27.
49.
Monson, C.M., & Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J. (2002). Sexual and nonsexual dating violence perpetration. Violence and Victims, 17, 403-428.
50.
Muehlenhard, C.L., & Linton, M.A. (1987). Date rape and sexual aggression in dating situations: Incidence and risk factors. Journal of Counseling Psychology , 34, 186-196.
51.
Olday, D., & Wesley, B. (1988). Dating violence: A comparison of high school and college subsamples. Free Inquiry in Creative Sociology, 16, 183-190.
52.
Perry, A.R., & Fromuth, M.E. (2005). Courtship violence using couple data: Characteristics and perceptions. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20, 1078-1095.
53.
Raj, A., Santana, C., La Marche, A., Amaro, H., Cranston, K., & Silverman, J.G. (2006). Perpetration of intimate partner violence associated with sexual risk behaviors among young adult men . American Journal of Public Health, 96, 1873-1878.
54.
Roscoe, B., & Kelsey, T. (1986). Dating violence among high school students. Psychology, 23, 53-57.
55.
Rouse, L.P. (1988). Abuse in dating relationships: A comparison of Blacks, Whites, and Hispanics. Journal of College Student Development, 9, 312-319.
56.
Sharpe, D., & Taylor, J.K. (1999). An examination of variables from a social-developmental model to explain physical and psychological dating violence. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 31, 165-175.
57.
Spence, J.T., & Hahn, E.D. (1997). The attitudes toward women scale and attitude change in college students. Psychology of Women Quarterly , 21, 17-34.
58.
Stets, J.E., & Pirog-Good, M.A. (1987). Violence in dating relationships . Social Psychology Quarterly, 50, 237-246.
59.
Straus, M.A. (2004). Prevalence of violence against dating partners by male and female university students worldwide. Violence Against Women, 10, 790-811.
60.
Straus, M.A., Hamby, S.L., Boney-McCoy, S., & Sugarman, D.B. (1996). The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2): Development and preliminary psychometric data. Journal of Family Issues, 17, 283-316.
61.
Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration. (2004). National Survey of Drug Use and Health. Rockville, MD: Author.
