Intergenerational transmission of intimate partner violence (IPV) : results from two generations of the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has huge ramifications for society, in costs to the perpetrators and their victims, the health service and the criminal justice system. It is important, therefore, that there should be emphasis on developing and enhancing methods of preventing and reducing this social problem. There is also the possibility that this type of behavior can be transmitted across generations. Prospective longitudinal studies are a way of exploring the possible mechanisms for intergenerational transmission of IPV in order that we can better understand what interventions are necessary. Using data from both generation 2 (G2) and generation 3 (G3) of the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, we investigated the intergenerational transmission of IPV perpetrated by males and females, taking into account the clustering of children in families. Possible mediating factors from both individual and family domains were considered, as was the effect of living separately from the father.