Timing Matters: Maternal Intimate Partner Violence,Parent–Child Relationships,and Adolescent Internalizing in Latine Families

Abstract

While exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) is a known risk factor for adolescent mental health difficulties, the impact of IPV chronicity in Latine families and the role of protective factors, such as strong parent–child bonds, remain understudied. Using longitudinal data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 1,304 Latine mother–child dyads), we examined associations between maternal IPV exposure patterns (none, early: age 0–3, late: age 3–9, or chronic), parent–child relationships at age 9, and adolescent internalizing symptoms at age 15. Maternal IPV exposure was measured through self-reported physical, sexual, and psychological abuse victimization across five timepoints from birth to age 9. Multiple regression analyses revealed that chronic (β = .825, p < .001) and late (β = 1.265, p < .001) maternal IPV exposure predicted higher levels of adolescent internalizing symptoms compared with no exposure. Closer parent–child relationships were associated with adolescent lower internalizing scores (β = −1.069, p < .05 for extremely close maternal relationships). A significant interaction emerged between early maternal IPV and parent–child closeness (β = −5.482, p < .05), whereby closer parent–child bonds at age 9 weakened links between early IPV exposure and subsequent adolescent internalizing behaviors. Among Latine families, closer parent–child relationships may buffer against the impact of maternal IPV exposure on adolescent internalizing behaviors, particularly in the context of early IPV exposure. Results underscore the importance of both IPV exposure timing and quality of parent–child bonds in shaping adolescent mental health outcomes. Findings suggest that interventions aimed at strengthening early parent–child relationships may promote resilience among adolescents exposed to maternal IPV victimization.