Is Physical Intimate Partner Violence a Risk Factor for Physical Child Maltreatment in a Nationally Representative Sample of Finnish School Children?

• In Event: Critical Issues in Intimate Partner Violence and Gender-Based Violence

Abstract

Previous studies have found a high co-occurrence between physical intimate partner violence (pIPV) and physical child maltreatment (pCM); however, little is known about this issue from children’s own perspective and from nationally representative surveys. The main objective of this study was to examine the connection between pIPV and pCM in a nationally representative sample of 12–13 and 15–16-year-old Finnish children (N = 6,825) after controlling for other known risk factors. The χ2 test and the logistic regression model were used. Around 73% of the children who had been exposed to pIPV had also experienced pCM during the past year, whereas 16.4% of those who had not been exposed to pIPV reported pCM. Children exposed to pIPV were almost four times more likely to experience pCM than children who were not exposed to pIPV. The connection remained statistically significant after controlling for other risk factors. Prevention and early identification of pIPV might reduce pCM in families. A holistic approach to assessing pCM would enrich research and clinical practice.

Authors

• Laura Mielityinen, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University

• Noora Ellonen, Research director

• Monica Fagerlund, Tampere University