The Cycle of Violence Revisited: Childhood Victimization, Resilience, and Future Violence

Kevin Wright, Jillian J. Turanovic, Eryn N. O’Neal, Stephanie J. Morse, Evan T. Booth

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

47 Scopus citations

Abstract

The individual and social protective factors that help break the cycle of violence are examined. Specifically, this study investigates (a) the individual and social protective factors that reduce violent offending among previously victimized children, and (b) whether certain protective factors are more or less important depending on the type and frequency of childhood victimization experienced. Data on young adults from Wave III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health are used (N = 13,116). Negative binomial regression models are estimated to examine the protective factors that promote resiliency to violent offending among individuals who reported being physically and sexually victimized as children. Results indicate that a number of individual and social protective factors reduce violent offending in young adulthood. With a few exceptions, these factors are specific to the type, frequency, and comorbidity of abuse experienced. The results suggest a number of promising approaches to break the cycle of violence among previously victimized children. Future research should move beyond explaining the cycle of violence to examine how the cycle may be broken.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1261-1286
Number of pages26
JournalJournal of interpersonal violence
Volume34
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2019

Keywords

  • child abuse
  • intergenerational transmission of trauma
  • physical abuse
  • sexual abuse
  • treatment/intervention

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Applied Psychology

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