The role of child maltreatment and attachment style in adolescent relationship
violence
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abstract
Utilizing attachment theory as a basis for conceptualizing close relationships among
adolescents, this study investigated two important relationship risk factors (child maltreatment,
and adolescent self-perceived insecure attachment style) as predictors of
“offender” and “victim” experiences in youth relationships. In
addition to considering the influence of these risk factors, we further considered their interaction
in predicting conflict in close relationships. Of interest was the extent to which attachment styles
may function as a moderator of the relationship between childhood abuse and current abuse in
teen close relationships. High school students (N = 321) in grades 9 and 10 completed
questionnaires tapping their histories of maltreatment, currently viewed styles of attachment, and
conflict in close relationships over the past 6 months. Maltreatment alone emerged as the most
consistent predictor, accounting for 13–18% of the variance in male's physically,
sexually, and verbally abusive behaviors; in contrast, it was not highly predictive of
female's abusive behaviors. Maltreatment was predictive of victimization experiences for
both males and females. Attachment style did not substantially add to the prediction of
relationship conflict beyond maltreatment; however, avoidant attachment style emerged
repeatedly as a significant predictor of female abusiveness and victimization. Attachment
self-ratings were found to function as a moderator of child maltreatment in predicting primarily
male coercive behavior towards a relationship partner as well as predicting male's
experience of coercion from a partner. Thus, the presence of childhood maltreatment and
adolescent self-perceived insecure attachment style applies predominantly to male youth. The
implication of these gender differences for understanding relationship violence is discussed.
