Safety in Numbers?: Does Social Capital Moderate between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Intimate Partner Violence?

• In Event: 50261 - Family Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 5: Kinship Networks, Health & Well-being

Abstract

Well-established research demonstrates a positive correlation between experiencing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and negative outcomes in emerging adulthood. However, relatively little research has examined the potential effects of ACEs on a common experience in emerging adulthood: dating and establishing romantic relationships. The research that does exist presents a confusing picture with mixed results. We extend this literature by examining a potential mechanism that might moderate the association between ACEs and intimate partner violence victimization or perpetration, social capital. A large body of research establishes social capital as a protective factor for positive child and youth development. However, the information, obligations, norms, and connections that make up social capital may have more tenuous relationships with intimate partner violence. We developed a model to analyze this interaction using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. This study aims to observe if there is a statistically significant interaction between experiencing adverse childhood experiences and greater access to social capital on intimate partner violence. These results are imperative as they can demonstrate the potential importance of developing and promoting social capital as a protective mechanism for those who experience ACEs.


Keywords: Adverse Childhood Experiences, Intimate Partner Violence, Family Social Capital

Author

• Sara Stewart, Brigham Young University-Provo