Trauma, discrimination, and intimate partner violence: intergenerational pathways in racially minoritized communities

This study examined whether childhood violence exposure contributes to adult intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration across racial groups and whether adolescent racial discrimination and parental racial socialization shape IPV risk among Black men. Integrating social learning and intersectionality theories within an eco-developmental framework, 253 cisgender men aged 18-35 (Black = 128, White = 125) completed measures of retrospectively reported childhood violence exposure, adolescent discrimination, parental racial socialization, and adult IPV perpetration. Childhood violence exposure was significantly associated with greater IPV perpetration for both Black and White participants (β = .25, p < .001), with no differences by race. Among Black participants, adolescent discrimination was independently associated with greater IPV perpetration (β = .32, p = .002). Furthermore, proactive racial socialization moderated the association between childhood violence exposure and IPV perpetration (β = -.30, p = .02) for Black men. Findings suggest that childhood violence exposure and adolescent discrimination may independently represent risk factors for IPV perpetration, whereas proactive racial socialization may serve as a protective factor among Black men.