Exposure to intimate partner violence: Does the gender of the perpetrator matter for adolescent mental health outcomes?

Research on exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) among children and adolescents has rarely examined whether the gender of the perpetrator (e.g., mother-perpetrated vs. father-perpetrated IPV) elicits differential effects on male and female adolescents' mental health outcomes. This study examined whether exposure to severe IPV affected male and female youths' mental health internalizing (i.e., withdrawn, somatic, and depressed or anxiety problems) and externalizing (i.e., aggression) outcomes differently, as well as whether the effects of IPV exposure depended on the gender of the perpetrator of violence. Results indicated that female-only-perpetrated IPV had a detrimental impact on some of girls' internalizing mental health problems more so than on the internalizing mental health problems of males. Male-only-perpetrated IPV did not yield similar results, perhaps because the measure did not capture the larger context of violence between partners. Potential policy implications for law enforcement, school counselors, and other mental health service providers are discussed.