Childhood Perceptions: How Parental Drug Abuse and Parental Intimate Partner Violence May Predict Adulthood Experiences

• In Event: Poster Session 1

Abstract

According to theories in developmental psychology, one of many ways children learn is through observations of behavior. Furthermore, children tend to replicate or internalize behavior exhibited by parental figures. In some cases, children perceive aversive behaviors or experiences in adults which hold the risk of being replicated in adulthood. Drug abuse and intimate partner violence are issues this country experiences on a massive scale, and in certain situations children may be exposed to these issues by perceiving their parent's experience with drug abuse or intimate partner violence. This study looks into the way exposure to parental drug abuse and parental intimate partner violence during childhood may serve as a predictor for experiencing drug abuse or intimate partner violence as an adult. Additionally, this study seeks to understand how childhood perceptions of parental drug abuse and parental intimate partner violence may impact mental health. The results of this study indicate that childhood perceptions of parental drug abuse and parental intimate partner violence may be a predictor for experiencing drug abuse or intimate partner violence as an adult as well as various mental health conditions.

Author

• Jacob V. Silva, University of Miami