Is There a Link Between Childhood Family Violence and Adult Health? Understanding Family Violence Amongst South Asian American Women

The devastating effects of experiencing violence in childhood has been particularly difficult to assess among South Asians (SA) living in the U.S. due to a lack of race specific data. A cross-sectional quantitative study of 535 SA adult women living in the U.S. was conducted to better understand the relationship between childhood exposure to violence and health behaviors in adulthood. Measures included socio-demographics, exposure to violence as a child via witnessing parental violence, and experience of childhood violence, adult IPV, suicide ideation and attempt, and body esteem and subjective well-being in adulthood. Significant associations were found between childhood verbal abuse and body esteem and subjective well-being in adulthood; childhood physical abuse and subjective well-being in adulthood; and having a battered mother and subjective well-being in adulthood. To date, this is the first study to examine childhood violence and its relationship to adult IPV and health among SA women in the U.S.