Childhood Abuse, Adult Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health Outcomes: An Exploration of Cumulative Patterns of Abuse in a Subset of Studies Included in a Systematic Review

Purpose Research indicates that childhood abuse (CA) and later intimate partner violence (IPV) are both associated with an elevated risk of poor mental health outcomes (MHOs) in adulthood. This study reviewed data from research investigating the association of IPV with MHOs to examine the impact of CA on this relationship. Method A narrative synthesis was employed to re-examine primary studies included in an earlier systematic review of associations between IPV exposure and MHO; 50 studies, which additionally assessed experience of CA, were retained. Evidence for the association between IPV and MHOs adjusted for CA, was systematically examined, with differences according to abuse type and population under study and impact of cumulative trauma experience explored. Results CA was highly prevalent among IPV-exposed individuals. IPV was frequently associated with poor MHOs in the 39 studies that adjusted for CA, most obviously in community and IPV-exposed groups. Psychological IPV was linked to psychological distress and post-traumatic stress disorder severity, while physical IPV showed strong associations with depression and anxiety. Sexual IPV was independently associated with deliberate self-harm and suicidal ideation in women. CA was less consistently related to MHOs but childhood polyvictimization and experience of multiple IPV types predicted worse MHOs. Conclusions While IPV independently impacts adulthood MHOs, cumulative abuse patterns over the lifetime, often beginning in childhood, compound the risk of poor mental health. As such, thorough assessments of abuse experiences spanning both childhood and adulthood are needed to better manage long-term and multifaceted impacts of interpersonal trauma on mental health.