Do violent teens become violent adults? Links between juvenile and adult domestic and family violence

Previous research exploring pathways into domestic and family violence (DFV) has primarily examined associations between early victimisation and future offending. Less is known about the relationship between adolescent DFV offending and adult DFV offending.

This study examined the offending pathways of 8,465 young offenders aged 13–17, who were followed until age 23. Only seven percent of young people in the sample had been proceeded against for a DFV offence before the age of 18. However, relative to other offenders who had been proceeded against for other forms of violent or non-violent offending, adolescent DFV offenders were much more likely to become adult DFV offenders, and reoffended more frequently.

These findings further highlight the need for interventions focusing on DFV offending among adolescents, and provide key evidence for identifying ideal points of intervention to prevent DFV in the community.