Mapping violence across time: A person-centered typology of childhood IPV exposure and later-life educational outcomes.

BACKGROUND

Childhood exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with adverse cognitive, socioemotional, and academic outcomes. However, most research relies on single-time-point or cumulative indicators, limiting understanding of how the timing, persistence, and co-occurrence of distinct IPV domains shape long-term educational pathways.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined heterogeneous longitudinal trajectories of childhood IPV exposure across multiple domains and assessed their associations with educational aspirations and attainment in emerging adulthood.

PARTICIPANTS

Data were drawn from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a population-based U.S. birth cohort (N = 4706). Maternal reports of IPV were collected when children were ages 1, 3, 5, and 9, and educational outcomes were assessed at age 22.

METHODS

Multidimensional growth mixture modeling identified latent trajectories of exposure to emotional, physical, sexual, and financial IPV across childhood.

RESULTS

Three trajectories emerged: Low IPV (65.2%), Moderate Emotional IPV (31.0%), and Multidimensional Persistent IPV (3.8%). Educational aspirations differed significantly across trajectories. Compared to the Low IPV group, aspirations were higher in the Moderate Emotional IPV (χ2 = 10.14, p = .001) and Multidimensional Persistent IPV trajectories (χ2 = 5.78, p = .016). Educational attainment also differed by trajectory, with the highest attainment observed among individuals in the Moderate Emotional IPV trajectory.

CONCLUSION

Findings highlight the importance of strengthening supports for IPV-exposed children during sensitive developmental periods and providing targeted educational and psychosocial interventions to bridge the aspiration-attainment gap, thereby preventing early adversity from constraining long-term educational mobility.