1 - (SYM 100) Testing the Associations Between Specific Forms of Child Maltreatment and Specific Forms of Domestic Violence Perpetration and Victimization

To date, evidence suggests experiencing maltreatment as children prospectively predicts involvement in domestic violence as adults. Yet, the robustness of this association is limited by two methodological shortcomings of prior research. First, researchers rely on maltreatment composite scores or focus on one type of child maltreatment instead of considering multiple types, leading to potential oversimplifications and inconsistencies. Second, despite evidence indicating childhood histories of psychopathology (e.g., attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; ADHD) increase risk of experiencing childhood maltreatment and domestic violence, little is known about whether histories of psychopathology confer unique risk of domestic violence over and above maltreatment histories. To this end, this investigation prospectively examines unique associations between types of child maltreatment (i.e., physical abuse, physical neglect, sexual abuse), childhood ADHD risk and domestic violence perpetration and victimization outcomes (i.e., physical and sexual abuse). Participants (n=14,167) in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health study provided data in Wave 3 (M age= 27.83) on childhood histories of maltreatment and ADHD (2.5% met DSM criteria for ADHD) and Wave 5 (M age=43.83) on current domestic violence perpetration and victimization. Logistic regression revealed that childhood physical abuse (and not sexual abuse or physical neglect) uniquely predicted physical and sexual abuse perpetration, 𝛽s =.059 - .067, (SEs = .017-.023), ps < .01 and victimization, 𝛽s =.062 - .069, (SEs = .017-.020), ps < .01. ADHD demonstrated an unexpected unique, yet small negative association with domestic violence outcomes, . By finding that physical abuse predicted domestic violence outcomes while other forms of maltreatment did not, this study underscores the importance of considering the unique paths from specific child maltreatment experiences to domestic violence outcomes. Moreover, experiencing physical abuse was a better predictor of domestic violence perpetration and victimization than ADHD, which was rendered an uninformative predictor in the context of histories of physical abuse. Overall, results help inform efforts aimed at mitigating the long-term consequences of childhood maltreatment on adult relationship functioning by highlighting that victims of physical abuse are at particularly high risk of both domestic violence perpetration and victimization relative to other risk factors.