The present study investigated pathways from childhood exposure to mothers’ intimate partner violence (IPV) to adolescent depression and anxiety. Further, the study examined whether housing insecurity mediated the link from IPV exposure to mental health outcomes. Data came from the Years 5, 9 and 15 interviews of the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study; the analytic sample was limited to mothers with at least partial custody of children (N = 2,425). Structural equation modeling with latent variables investigated research questions. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) identified observed indicators for latent constructs, and a path analysis tested direct and indirect pathways from IPV exposure to adolescent depression and anxiety. IPV exposure at age five was associated with increased housing insecurity at age nine, which was associated with increased adolescent depression and anxiety at age 15. Although IPV exposure was not directly associated with either mental health outcome, housing insecurity mediated the link from IPV exposure to adolescent depression. Findings point to the long-term consequences of exposure to intimate partner violence in childhood, highlighting pathways to mental disorder in adolescence. The present study emphasizes the need for policies that protect survivors of IPV from eviction and homelessness, empower them to leave abusers without fear of losing their housing, and promote healthy child development in the wake of family violence.

本研究调查了从童年接触母亲的亲密伴侣暴力 (IPV) 到青少年抑郁和焦虑的途径。此外，该研究检查了住房不安全是否介导了 IPV 暴露与心理健康结果之间的联系。数据来自脆弱家庭和儿童福祉研究的第 5、9 和 15 年级访谈；分析样本仅限于至少部分监护孩子的母亲（N= 2,425）。具有潜在变量的结构方程模型研究了研究问题。验证性因素分析 (CFA) 确定了观察到的潜在结构指标，路径分析测试了从 IPV 暴露到青少年抑郁和焦虑的直接和间接途径。5 岁时接触 IPV 与 9 岁时住房不安全感增加有关，而 9 岁时住房不安全感增加与 15 岁时青少年抑郁和焦虑增加有关。虽然 IPV 接触与心理健康结果没有直接关系，但住房不安全感介导了 IPV 接触与心理健康结果之间的联系青春期抑郁症。研究结果指出了童年时期遭受亲密伴侣暴力的长期后果，突出了青春期精神障碍的途径。