Approximately one third of young people in the UK have experienced IPVA by the age of 21. 

The Medical Research Council-funded research, summarised in a new policy report published by PolicyBristol today [1 February], sought to understand the risk factors which make young people more vulnerable to IPVA. The study also explored the types and frequency of abuse they experience, and their experiences of getting help and support. 

The team conducted in-depth interviews with 19 young people aged 18-25 and analysed longitudinal Children of the 90s survey data (also known as the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children) on around 3,000 young people aged 18-21.  They found that young people were often vulnerable long before the abusive intimate relationship(s) had begun. They uncovered a 'loneliness loop' which created a pathway from early childhood trauma to IPVA in young adulthood. 

Young people described experiences of being silenced, either by not being believed about adverse childhood experiences, such as domestic or sexual violence and abuse, bullying or other forms of abuse, or by being negatively labelled as 'bad' when they acted out from those experiences. The resulting isolation and loneliness made them vulnerable to further abuse, including IPVA, which led to further isolation and loneliness making it more difficult to break out of the loop and get help. 

Psychological abuse was a feature in all abusive relationships, including coercive control (intimidating, manipulative and controlling behaviour). Young women experienced more sexual abuse than young men, and more often all three types of abuse (psychological, physical, sexual). 

Read the full University of Bristol news item

'Better support is needed for young people vulnerable to abuse in intimate relationships' by Maria Barnes, Annie Herbert, Gene Feder, Eszter Szilassy, Abigail Fraser, Laura Howe, Jon Heron, Christine Barter in PolicyBristol