Effects of Childhood Exposure to Gender-Based Violence on Polyvictimization of GBV in the Dominican Republic

Barbara Zsembik, Julia Maria Arroyo, Chuck W. Peek and Antionette M. McFarlane

SAGE Open, 2025, vol. 15, issue 3, 21582440251378238

Abstract: We examined the effects of childhood exposure to gender-based violence (GBV) on the risk of GBV polyvictimization among women in the Dominican Republic. Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate risks of three types of GBV (emotional, physical, and sexual), and polyvictimization, experiencing two or more GBV types. GBV in adulthood is associated with forced sex before age 15, entry into sexual intimacy in early adolescence, and witnessing fathers beating mothers. Polyvictimization is associated with all three types of GBV in childhood but was particularly high for women who were forced to have sex before age 15. Our data reveal appreciable risks of polyvictimization, signaling a wider field of childhood victimization and adulthood (re)victimization experiences. Childhood exposure to GBV is as important of a predictor of adulthood GBV as more common determinants such as relational, economic, and sociocultural characteristics. Women who had a sexual relationship in early adolescence or witnessed their father beating their mother, report higher levels of polyvictimization. The risk profile of sexual violence in adulthood shows a risk profile different from risks of emotional and physical violence.

Keywords: polyvictimization; intimate partner violence; intergenerational transmission of violence; childhood gender-based violence; Dominican republic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21582440251378238 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:sagope:v:15:y:2025:i:3:p:21582440251378238

DOI: 10.1177/21582440251378238

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in SAGE Open
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().