Romantic Attachment Security, Emotional Management, and Family Bond in Adolescent Intimate Partner Violence

In light of the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) among adolescents, this study aims to examine potential factors associated with IPV, namely romantic attachment security, emotional management, and family bond. Using survey data from 1,815 secondary school students in Hong Kong, Pearson correlations and multivariate logistic regression were employed to assess the relationship between the potential factors and adolescent IPV occurrences. The IPV perpetration and victimization scales as well as each of their seven items were examined respectively to unravel factors of various types of violence. Consistent with previous studies, IPV perpetration was significantly associated with victimization. Romantic attachment security negatively predicted three of the IPV items (i.e., distance partners from friends, being verbally abused, and being engaged in unwilling physical intimate contact). In general, emotional management was non-significant in predicting IPV experiences. Family bond negatively predicted the IPV perpetration scale. The findings suggested both methodological and practical advancements in examining IPV.