Not Just Exposure: Intimate Partner Violence Approval Moderates the Impact of Childhood Violence on Dysfunctional Risk Behaviors

Background and Purpose

Childhood exposure to interpersonal violence leads to risky extended behavioral vulnerabilities, yet the role of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) approving attitudes in shaping these trajectories remains underexplored. Guided by social learning theory, this study examines whether IPV approval moderates the relationship between childhood violence exposure and dysfunctional risk behaviors, emphasizing how normalized aggression and attitudinal endorsement of IPV undermine relational equity and community safety.

Methods

Data were drawn from the International Dating Violence Study (IDVS), a multinational survey of 17,404 young adults. The sample was 70.1% women and 29.9% men, with a mean age of 22.85 years (SD = 6.02). Most participants reported that their parents were married (73.5%), while 13.2% were divorced and 7.0% had at least one deceased parent. The dependent variable, dysfunctional risk behaviors was constructed from 15 Likert‑scale items forming a reliable composite (α > .70), it had a mean of 26.48 (SD = 5.07). The independent variable, a childhood interpersonal violence index composed of 10 items (α = .711) and had a mean of 14.49 (SD = 3.84). The moderator IPV approval was derived from five items measuring attitudinal support for partner aggression and it had a mean of 10.32 (SD = 2.33). A moderation analysis was conducted using PROCESS Macro Model 1, with childhood violence exposure and IPV approval mean‑centered prior to creating the interaction term. Covariates included sex (binary), parental marital status (dummy‑coded), and age (younger vs. older adults). Regression assumptions including reliability, normality, linearity, homoscedasticity, and multicollinearity were tested and met.

Results

The overall model was significant, F (10, 17, 393) = 1100.84, p < .001, explaining 38.7% of the variance in dysfunctional risk behaviors. Childhood violence exposure was a strong positive predictor (B = 0.462, p < .001), indicating increased behavioral risk among individuals with higher levels of childhood interpersonal violence. IPV approval was also a strong predictor (B = 0.820, p < .001), emerging as the most influential variable in the model. The interaction between childhood violence exposure and IPV approval was significant (B = 0.0148, p < .001), demonstrating that the relationship between early violence and dysfunctional risk behaviors strengthens as IPV approval increases. Simple slopes analysis indicated weak associations at low IPV approval, moderate effects at mean levels, and strongest effects among individuals with high IPV approval, illustrating an amplification mechanism grounded in normative endorsement of violence.

Conclusions and Implications

IPV approving attitudes significantly intensify the behavioral consequences of childhood interpersonal violence, revealing an attitudinal pathway that compounds developmental harm. Individuals who internalize violence supportive norms are more likely to engage in dysfunctional risk behaviors when they have histories of early victimization. Findings highlight the need for trauma‑informed, equity‑driven social work interventions that address both early adversity and the normative beliefs that legitimize violence. Prevention efforts should challenge IPV supportive norms, promote accountability, and disrupt intergenerational cycles of aggression to support community safety and well‑being.

Keywords: Child Exposure; Interpersonal Violence; Intimate Partner Violence; Equity‑Driven Social Work Research.