Young, urban women's experiences of witnessing intimate partner violence in the home during childhood

Witnessing intimate partner violence (IPV) during childhood has been associated with experiencing child physical and sexual abuse and increased risk of IPV in adulthood, although this relationship seldom has been examined among young, urban women. We evaluated the frequency of witnessing IPV, described the resulting fear and disruption, and evaluated differences between women who witnessed IPV and those who did not with regards to victimization experiences. 

Audio computer-assisted self-interviews of 315 young, sexually active, urban women aged 18-30 assessed witnessing IPV, and experiences of childhood physical abuse, childhood sexual abuse, and recent physical IPV. Women were queried on whether they were afraid and/or missed school after witnessing IPV.

Most women (77.5%) were non-Hispanic, African-American and had a high school education or less (72.0%). Witnessing IPV was reported by 27.6% of women (46% once or twice, 23% sometimes, 18.4% often, and 12.6% very often). The majority of women who witnessed IPV reported being afraid or very afraid (67.8%) and 27.6% missed school after witnessing IPV. Compared to women who did not witness IPV, women who witnessed were more likely to experience childhood physical abuse (67.8% vs. 38.2%, p<0.001), childhood sexual abuse (26.4% vs. 14.5%, p=0.013), and physical IPV in the past year (35.6% vs. 19.7%, p=0.003).

Women who witnessed IPV during childhood were significantly more likely to experience childhood physical and sexual abuse, and more likely to encounter IPV in their own relationships. These findings highlight the short- and long-term adverse effects of witnessing IPV during childhood for young, urban women.