Effects of Child Maltreatment on the Likelihood of Committing Violence in at-Risk Youth

One of the most concerning effects of child maltreatment that has been of interest to researchers and practitioners over the past few decades is the documented increased risk of victimized children engaging in violence during childhood and adulthood. Despite the intergenerational transmission of violence being empirically documented in numerous studies, the influence of maltreatment typology on this continuity of violence is still in the early stages of research. Hence, limited information exists as to which types of maltreatment are the most likely to lead to violence and what factors moderate the relationship between childhood victimization and an increased risk of violence and aggressive behavior, that can be modified in treatment programs. Concepts from family systems, trauma, and need to belong theories are integrated to provide a framework explaining why the type of maltreatment and a lack of family belonging may predict the likelihood to engage in violence during childhood. Using a sample of juveniles leaving the Florida department of juvenile justice community supervision program between the years of 2010 and 2011 (n= 6,537), this study examines the effect of four different types of maltreatment on the likelihood of commission of violent behavior. Findings reveal that maltreated children are less likely to have family belonging than non-maltreated children and are more likely to have committed a violent offense. Specifically, children who have experienced sexual abuse in childhood are at the greatest risk for being court ordered to community supervision for a violent offense, followed by children who have experienced multiple types of maltreatment. While children with family belonging are less likely to commit violence, the results do not suggest that family belonging moderates the relationship between maltreatment and the propensity to commit violence.