Role of Early Exposure to Domestic Violence in Display of Aggression among University Students

Childhood experiences determine adulthood personality. Witnessing violence in domestic and community setting may lead towards developing aggressive tendencies later. The present research was aimed to explore the relationship between witnessing domestic violence during childhood and aggression among university students. A sample of 310 university students (age range = 18-30 years) was approached through purposive convenience sampling method for this research. Urdu translated versions of Social Desirability Scale (Masood, 2014), Childhood Exposure to Domestic Violence Scale (Masood, 2014), and Aggression Questionnaire (Ashraf, 2004) were administered along with a detailed demographic sheet. Results showed significant positive correlation between witnessing domestic violence and aggression. Among all the intervening risk factors, the most significant predictor for aggression was found to be community violence exposure followed by home exposure to violence. Element of social desirability was controlled keeping in mind the sensitive nature of research. Implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research were also discussed.