McCabe, B., Lai, B., Gonzalez-Guarda, R., & Peragallo Montano, N. (2018). Childhood abuse and adulthood IPV, depression, and high-risk drinking in Latinas. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 1-6. DOI:10.1080/01612840.2018.1505984

Previous research has demonstrated that child abuse and neglect is associated with negative outcomes such as intimate partner violence (IPV), depression, and risky alcohol use. However, these results have not been sufficiently studied in U.S. Hispanic women. This study therefore focused on U.S. Hispanic women and the relationship between child maltreatment and IPV, depression, and drinking in adulthood. Results revealed that 25% of women in the sample experienced at least one type of abuse during childhood. Women who reported any type of child abuse were more likely to report IPV, depression, and drinking in adulthood. There was also an additive effect for childhood abuse, meaning that women who reported a greater number of abuse experiences reported greater IPV, depression, and drinking in adulthood. Lastly, the study demonstrated that each type of abuse was significant for certain outcomes: Childhood emotional abuse (depression), childhood physical abuse (high-risk drinking), and childhood sexual abuse (depression and high-risk drinking). Further research should focus on risk and protective factors for this group and the development of child-maltreatment prevention programs.