Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2016, Advance online publication, 22 February 2016

Symptoms of psychological distress may be one pathway through which child maltreatment and witnessing violence in the home relate to dating violence victimization. This study examined whether psychological distress in mid-adolescence mediated the link between child maltreatment and witnessing violence in early adolescence and dating violence victimization in young adulthood. The sample included female participants (N
=532) from the United States National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well Being who were 18 years or older in the fifth and final wave of data collection. Results showed that psychological distress may play a causal role in the relationship of violence in the home to dating violence victimisation. Interventions targeting psychological distress, particularly in samples at risk for child maltreatment, may reduce the risk of dating violence victimisation. (From the abstract). Record 4946