Knowledge Base

Children and youth living in homes affected by DV are also at high risk for both future perpetration and victimization—that is, they are more likely to commit acts of DV or experience maltreatment in adulthood. A review of academic research found 16 distinct research studies that identified a link between childhood exposure to DV and perpetration of DV in adulthood. Research is unclear on exactly how childhood exposure to DV is related to outcomes such as experiencing DV in adulthood. However, some studies have shown that children and youth who grow up in homes characterized by IPV are more likely to develop accepting attitudes towards violence (e.g. viewing violence as a normal way of life and as a viable means of conflict resolution), which in turn increases risk for later dating violence perpetration.