Beyond the moment: How children’s exposure to parental intimate partner violence shapes family life

The pervasive issue of parental intimate partner violence (IPV) during childhood is known to exert long-term influences on children’s development. However, the specific ways in which IPV shapes the diversity of adult family trajectories remain insufficiently explored. This study aims to identify distinct family trajectory types in young adulthood in China, examine the effects of childhood exposure to interparental physical violence on the propensity to follow normative versus atypical family trajectory types, differentiate the effects of mother- versus father-initiated IPV, and consider the potential moderating effects of individual characteristics. Data were drawn from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, a nationally representative dataset in China (N = 16,627). Sequence and cluster analysis, as well as multinomial logistic regression analyses, were conducted. This study identified 10 distinct trajectory types based on patterns of partnership formation, fertility behavior, and relationship stability. Children who were exposed to interparental physical violence exhibited consistently lower odds (ranging from 42% to 62%) of following stable family trajectories in early adulthood compared to those not exposed to parental IPV; instead, they were more likely to follow atypical family trajectories. These associations were consistent across various genders, ethnicities, hukou statuses, and birth cohorts. Gender-sensitive analyses indicated that IPV perpetrated by fathers, but not mothers, had detrimental effects on offspring’s family trajectories. In short, childhood exposure to paternal IPV has long-lasting impacts on children’s future family life trajectories. The uniform detrimental effects of IPV across sociodemographic groups underscore the need for inclusive support systems for those affected by parental IPV.