Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Young Adults Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence in Childhood: the Qualitative Meanings of this Experience

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Family Violence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Adults exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) in their childhood are often considered in studies to be a homogeneous group and are not questioned about the meanings that they give to IPV. This study focuses specifically on the 18–25 age group and seeks to answer the following questions: 1) How do young adults exposed to IPV explain what IPV meant to them? 2) In their opinion, which experiences in their life course contributed to construction of meanings?. Semi-structured interviews using an adaptation of the Life History Calendar were conducted with 35 young adults who were exposed to IPV in their childhood. Analysis was based on the Life Course Theory. Overall, the specific life courses of each young adult exposed to IPV helped us to better understand the nuances in the meanings they gave to IPV. The construction of these meanings relied on the context around IPV and on other trajectories constituting the life course (e.g., school, work, friendship). This construction seemed to rely on three processes: 1) an awareness process, 2) a process leading to greater trust in others, and 3) an empowerment process. These findings have generated new questions about the construction of these meanings and their impact on the consequences of IPV. Our findings could also lead practitioners to pay more attention to these meanings in order to better understand the reactions of individuals exposed to IPV.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anderson, K. M., & Bang, E.-J. (2011). Assessing PTSD and resilience for females who during childhood were exposed to domestic violence. Child & Family Social Work, 17, 55–65. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2206.2011.00772.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, K. M., & Danis, F. S. (2006). Adult daughters of battered women. Resistance and resilience in the face of danger. Afflia: Journal of Women and Social Work, 21(4), 419–432. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109906292130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Armour, M. (2003). Meaning making in the aftermath of homicide. Death Studies, 27, 519–540. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481180302884.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Armour, M. (2010). Meaning making in survivorship: Application to holocaust survivors. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 20, 440–468. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911350903274997.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arnett, J. J. (2011). Bridging cultural and developmental approaches to psychology: New syntheses in theory, research, and policy. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benz, J. L. (2010). Life experiences of adult who witnessed domestic violence as children. (Doctoral dissertation thesis), Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

  • Black, D. S., Sussman, S., & Unger, J. B. (2010). A further look at the intergenerational transmission of violence: Witnessing interparental violence in emerging adulthood. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 25(6), 1022–1042. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260509340539.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Clément, M.-E., Bernèche, F., Chamberland, C., & Fontaine, C. (2013). La violence familiale dans la vie des enfants du Québec, 2012, Les attitudes parentales et les pratiques familiales. Québec: Institut de la statistique du Québec.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collins, C., & Dressler, W. (2008). Cultural models of domestic violence: Perspectives of social work and anthropology students. Journal of Social Work Education, 44(2), 53–73. https://doi.org/10.5175/JSWE.2008.200600101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Damant, D., Paquet, J., & Bélanger, J. (2001). Recension critique des écrits sur l'empowerment ou quand l'expérience de femmes victimes de violence conjugale fertilise des constructions conceptuelles. Recherches féministes, 14(2), 133–154. https://doi.org/10.7202/058146ar.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeBoard-Lucas, R. L., & Grych, J. H. (2011). Children's perceptions of intimate partner violence: Causes, consequences, and coping. Journal of Family Violence, 26, 343–354. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-011-9368-2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doucet, M., & Fortin, A. (2014). Examen des profils d'adaptation chez les enfants exposés à la violence conjugale. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 46(2), 162–174. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dumont, A. (2017). Les points de vue de personnes exposés à la violence conjugale: Complexité et importance de ce domaine d'étude. Revue canadienne de service social, 34(1), 141–155. https://doi.org/10.7202/1040999ar.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elder, G. H. J., Johnson, M. K., & Crosnoe, R. (2003). The emergence and development of life course theory. In J. T. Mortimer & M. J. Shanahan (Eds.), Handbook of the life course. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fédération des maisons d'hébergement pour femmes. (n.d.). Violence conjugale. Retrieved from http://fede.qc.ca/definitions/violence-conjugale

  • Fereday, J., & Muir-Cochrane, E. (2006). Demonstrating rigor using thematic analysis: A hybrid approach of inductive and deductive coding and theme development. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 5(1), 80–92. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690600500107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freyd, J. J. (1996). Betrayal trauma: The logic of forgetting childhood abuse. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garcia-Lord, D. (2011). Narratives, meaning making, and psychological outcomes among adult survivors of intra-familial childhood abuse (Doctoral dissertation). The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

  • Gaudet, S. (2013). Comprendre les parcours de vie: une lecture au carrefour du singulier et du social. In S. Gaudet, N. Burlone, & M. Lévesque (Eds.), Repenser la famille et ses transitions: repenser les politiques publiques. Québec: Les Presses de l'Université Laval.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geninet, I., & Marchand, A. (2007). La recherche de sens à la suite d'un événement traumatique. Santé mentale au Québec, XXXII(2), 11–35. https://doi.org/10.7202/017795ar.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gherghel, A. (2013). La théorie du parcours de vie. Une approche interdisciplinaire dans l'étude des familles. Québec: Presses de l'Université Laval.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giele, J. Z., & Elder, G. H. J. (1998). Life course research. Development of a field. In J. Z. Giele & G. H. J. Elder (Eds.), Methods of Life Course Research. Qualitative and Quantitatve Approaches. Thousand Oaks: SAGE publications.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Given, L. M. (2008). The SAGE encyclopedia of qualitative research methods. Los Angeles, Calif: Sage Publications.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Gouvernement du Québec. (1995). Politique d'intervention en matière de violence conjugale. Prévenir, dépister, contrer la violence conjugale. Québec: Gouvernement du Québec, Ministère de la santé et des services sociaux.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gouvernement du Québec. (2018). Plan d'action gouvernemental en matière de violence conjugale 2018–2023. Retrived from http://scf.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/publications/Violence/30254_Plan_violence_FINAL.PDF

  • Graham-Bermann, S. A., Cater, A. K., Miller-Graff, L. E., & Howell, K. H. (2017). Adults' explanation for intimate partner violence during childhood and associated effects. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 73(6), 652–668. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22345.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grogan-Kaylor, A., Howell, K. H., Miller-Graff, L. E., Galanos, M., & Graham-Bermann, S. A. (2018). Trajectories of children's attitudes and beliefs about violence in families exposed to intimate partner violence. Violence and Victims, 33(3), 504–518. https://doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.v33.i3.504.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grossman, F. K., Sorsoli, L., & Kia-Keating, M. (2006). A gale force wind: Meaning making by male survivors of childhood sexual abuse. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76(4), 434–443. https://doi.org/10.1037/0002-9432.76.4.434.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hamby, S., Finkelhor, D., Turner, H., & Ormrod, R. (2011). Children's exposure to intimate partner violence and other family violence. In Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (Ed.), National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence. Washington, DC: OJJDP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, S. M., & Dersch, C. A. (2001). “I'm just not like that”: Investigating the intergenerational cycle of violence. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 9(3), 250–258. https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480701093003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hélie, S., Collin-Vézina, D., Turcotte, D., Trocmé, N., & Girouard, N. (2017). Étude d'incidence québécoise sur les situations évaluées en protection de la jeunesse en 2014 (ÉIQ-2014). Québec: Ministère de la Santé et des services sociaux.

    Google Scholar 

  • Humphreys, J. C. (2001). Growing up in a violent home: The lived experience of daughters of battered women. Journal of Family Nursing, 7(3), 244–260. https://doi.org/10.1177/107484070100700303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hutchison, E. D. (2005). The life course perspective: A promising approach for bridging the micro and macro worlds for social workers. Families in Society, 86(1), 143–152. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.1886.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lapierre, S., Côté, I., Buetti, D., Lambert, A., Lessard, G., & Drolet, M. (2015). Conflits entre conjoints ou contrôle des hommes sur les femmes? L'expérience et le point de vue d'enfants et d'adolescents exposés à la violence conjugale. Enfances, Familles, Générations, 22, 51–67. https://doi.org/10.7202/1031118ar.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lessard, G., Hamelin Brabant, L., Bisson, S. M., Alvarez-Lizotte, P., & Dumont, A. (2019). L'exposition à la violence conjugale. In S. Dufour & M.-E. Clément (Eds.), La violence à l'égard des enfants en milieu familial (2nd ed.). Anjou: Éditions CEC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martinez-Torteya, C., Bogat, A. G., von Eye, A., & Levendosky, A. A. (2009). Resilience among children exposed to domestic violence: The role of risk and protective factors. Child Development, 80(2), 562–577. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01279.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ministère de la Sécurité publique. (2017). Statistiques 2015 sur les infractions contre la personne commises dans un contexte conjugal. Retrieved from https://www.securitepublique.gouv.qc.ca/police/publications-et-statistiques/statistiques/violence-conjugale/2015.html

  • Nelson, I. A. (2010). From quantitative to qualitative: Adapting the life history calendar method. Field Methods, 22(4), 413–428. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X10379793.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O'Brien, K., Cohen, L., Pooley, J. A., & Taylor, M. F. (2013). Lifting the domestic violence cloak of silence: Resilient australian women's reflected memories of their childhood experiences of witnessing domestic violence. Journal of Family Violence, 28, 95–108. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-012-9484-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Overlien, C., & Hyden, M. (2009). Children's actions when experiencing domestic violence. Childhood, 16(4), 479–496. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568209343757.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Park, C. L. (2013). Trauma and meaning making: Converging conceptualizations and emerging evidence. In J. A. Hicks & C. Routledge (Eds.), The experience of meaning in life: Classical perspectives, emerging themes, and controversies (pp. 61–76). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Park, C. L., & Folkman, S. (1997). Meaning in the context of stress and coping. Review of General Psychology, 1(2), 115–144. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.1.2.115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russell, D., Springer, K. W., & Greenfield, E. A. (2010). Witnessing domestic abuse in childhood as an independent risk factor for depressive symptoms in young adulthood. Child Abuse & Neglect, 34, 448–453. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2009.10.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S. J. (2016). Turning point for a turning point: Advancing emerging adulthood theory and research. Emerging Adulthood, 4(5), 307–317. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696815624640.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spilsbury, J. C., Belliston, L., Drotar, D., Drinkard, A., Kretschmar, J., Creeden, R., et al. (2007). Clinically significant trauma symptoms and behavioral problems in a community-based sample of children exposed to domestic violence. Journal of Family Violence, 22, 487–499. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-007-9113-z.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suzuki, S. L., Geffner, R., & Bucky, S. F. (2008). The experiences of adults exposed to intimate partner violence as children: An exploratory qualitative study of resilience and protective factors. Journal of Emotional Abuse, 8(1), 103–121. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926790801984523.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Widom, C. S., DuMont, K. A., & Czaja, S. J. (2007). A prospective investigation of major depressive disorder and comorbidity in abused and neglected children grown up. Archives of General Psychiatry, 64, 49–56. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.64.1.49.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Woo, C. R. S., & Brown, E. J. (2013). Role of meaning in the prediction of depressive symptoms among trauma-exposed and nontrauma-exposed emerging adults. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 69(12), 1269–1283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université Laval, 1030, avenue des Sciences-Humaines, Pavillon Charles-De-Koninck, bureau 0449, Québec City, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada

    Annie Dumont & Geneviève Lessard

Authors
  1. Annie Dumont
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Geneviève Lessard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Annie Dumont.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dumont, A., Lessard, G. Young Adults Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence in Childhood: the Qualitative Meanings of this Experience. J Fam Viol 35, 781–792 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-019-00100-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-019-00100-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation