The study found that in a survey of young adults, 47 percent of respondents reported experiencing some form of intimate partner violence (IPV) in their romantic relationships and 54 percent reported experiencing bidirectional IPV. The findings also indicated that gender played a role in the existence of IPV, with males with a history of childhood sexual abuse having a higher propensity for perpetration and bidirectional IPV, and females with a history of childhood neglect experiencing all three IPV outcomes: perpetration, victimization, and bidirectional IPV. In addition, both males and females with a history of suicide attempts were more likely to experience bidirectional IPV. This study examined the evidence for risk factors associated with the perpetration of intimate partner violence among a sample of young adults. Data for the study were obtained from a sample of young adults ages 18-27 (n=10,187) who participated in Wave 3 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The study evaluated the prevalence of risk factors to determine their relationship to IPV. The factors included a history of child maltreatment, interparental conflict in the family, youth violence perpetration and victimization, dating violence victimization, problem with alcohol use, self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and prior suicide attempts. The results show that violence and aggression during childhood and adolescence can have a significant effect on the perpetration of and victimization from IPV. Implications for practice and research are discussed. Tables and references