ArticleChild abuse & neglect2026
An exploratory test of the pathways between adverse childhood experiences and later perpetration of intimate partner violence in South African male youth using theoretical frameworks.
Article in Child abuse & neglect, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundCompeting theories have been posited to explain the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and later perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV): social learning theory, trauma theory, and feminist theory. The objective of this study was to test these three theories explaining link between ACES and later perpetration of IPV in one sample. PARTICIPANTS AND
settingAdolescent boys (N = 498; 16.5 years old (SD = 1.35) at baseline) living in Soweto, South Africa.
methodsParticipants completed baseline and one-year follow-up questionnaires assessing ACEs, IPV perpetration, gender attitudes, and mental health symptoms. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the theories.
resultsLifetime ACEs at baseline were significantly associated with IPV perpetration at follow-up (B = 0.21, SE = 0.05, p < .001). This relationship was fully mediated by psychological distress, supporting trauma theory. ACEs involving violence in the home and those involving violence in the community showed significant indirect effects on IPV perpetration (B = 0.02, p < .05; B = 0.02, p < .05, respectively), whereas ACEs not related to violence showed no effect; this finding provides some support for social learning theory. Gender attitudes did not mediate the association between ACEs and IPV perpetration, therefore feminist theory was not supported.
conclusionsMultiple theories attempt to explain the link between ACEs and IPV perpetration. This study found support for trauma theory, and to some extent, social learning theory. Findings suggest the need for interventions to improve coping skills among youth, conflict resolution skills among family members, and non-violent norms among community members.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.