Associations between childhood abuse, exposure to domestic violence, and the risk of later violent revictimization in Australia

Abstract

Background

Childhood abuse and domestic violence exposure are pervasive and linked to many adverse outcomes, including revictimization across the lifespan. Few studies examine the associations between types and combinations of childhood abuse and later revictimization using large representative samples of the general population, especially in the Australian context.

Objective

To examine the associations between childhood physical abuse, sexual abuse, and exposure to domestic violence before 15 years of age and lifetime physical and sexual violence revictimization since 15 years of age.

Participants and setting

Secondary analysis of the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016 Personal Safety Survey, which collected cross-sectional information on experiences of violence among 21,242 community-dwelling adult men and women.

Methods

Regression analyses to determine whether experiences of childhood abuse and domestic violence were associated with lifetime physical and/or sexual revictimization, controlling for demographic, socio-economic and area-level characteristics.

Results

All three types of childhood abuse/domestic violence exposure, occurring alone or in combination, were associated with higher odds of lifetime physical and/or sexual revictimization in adjusted models; associations were generally strongest for those who experienced multiple types. Men generally reported higher rates of physical revictimization while women reported higher rates of sexual revictimization; however, sex differences varied according to the types of childhood abuse/domestic violence experienced.

Conclusions

Findings add nuance to the understanding of associations between childhood abuse, domestic violence exposure, and later revictimization in a large Australian sample. Preventing children's experiences of abuse and violence, and intervening early to mitigate harms, may help to reduce violence across the lifespan.