Beyond the Victim: How Non-Partner Victimization Shapes Young Adult Romantic Relationships

• In Event: Family Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 13: Relationship Dynamics and Quality

Abstract

Violent victimization during adolescence and young adulthood may extend beyond the victim's individual psychological consequences and shape romantic relationship experiences during a critical developmental period. Although prior research points out links between victimization and psychological turmoil, most scholarship at the intersection of violence and relationships focuses on intimate partner violence (IPV). Far less is known about how non-partner violent victimization (violence perpetrated by a non-romantic partner) shapes relationship quality. This study addresses that gap by examining how young adults’ experiences of non-partner violent victimization are associated with their perceptions of their romantic relationship quality and whether any discrepancies emerge between victims’ and their partners’ reports of relationship quality. Using Wave III data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), I analyze a sample of young adults aged 18–26 currently in monogamous relationships, excluding those reporting partner-perpetrated violence. Preliminary ordered logistic regression results from the public-use data (n=901) indicate that victims of non-partner violence have significantly lower odds of reporting high relationship quality—approximately 43% lower than non-victims. These findings suggest that violent victimization is not only an individual experience but also a relational one, with implications for supporting healthy relationship development during young adulthood.

Author

• Jordan Ekstrom, Indiana University-Bloomington