PARENTS MARITAL VIOLENCE - LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES FOR CHILDREN

This study uses longitudinal data from two sources (parents and their adult offspring) to determine the long-term consequences of marital vi olence for children. The authors find that parents' reports of marital violence between 1980 and 1988 (when children were between the ages o f 11 and 19, on average) predict offspring's reports of negative outco mes in early adulthood, including poorer parent-child relationships, l ower psychological well-being, and more violence within their own rela tionships. Most of these associations are independent of parents' nonv iolent conflict, divorce, self-reported abusive behavior toward childr en, and alcohol/drug use.