With an estimated 1 million violent offenses committed against persons by an intimate partner in 1998, intimate partner violence (IPV) has been identified as a serious social problem, as well as public health concern. Although there are many studies pointing to several characteristics associated with IPV, the etiology of IPV for men and women has not been well established. This study examined the relationships between distal explanatory variables, such as early drinking problems, negative affect, gender role ideology, and negative parental modeling experiences and IPV. Models were tested separately for young adult men and women to determine if the known predictors of male perpetration and female victimization generalize to the other gender. Data were drawn from the Rutgers Health and Human Development Project; a longitudinal study which explored adolescent and young adult development. From 1979 to 1981, a random telephone survey was conducted to identify participants in 16 to 21 New Jersey counties. In general, the results largely replicated and extended earlier findings on risk factors for IPV. The study also provided support for a relationship between early problem drinking and later IPV, with early problem drinking predicting perpetration for both genders. The findings generally support previous studies that show that negative parental modeling experiences may increase the risks of IPV. Even though common and unique predictors of IPV for men and women were found, the results should be interpreted with caution since only self-reports were explored. In order to understand the contexts of these behaviors and gender differences, more longitudinal research is required and recommended. References