Parental Financial Socialization and Youth Subsequent Victimization of Intimate Partner Abuse: The Roles of Youth’s Financial Behaviors and Friends’ Financial Socialization

Youth in Hong Kong are at high risk of experiencing economic abuse and other forms of intimate partner violence (Other IPV), especially those from lower SES families. Identifying relevant predictors and mechanisms is practically pressing. Guided by the economic empowerment perspective and the family financial socialization framework, this study examined the associations between parental financial socialization and youth subsequent victimization of economic abuse and Other IPV in a sample of 323 Hong Kong youth who were in committed romantic partnerships and from lower SES families. We tested the potential mediating role of youth’s financial behaviors and the potential moderating roles of friends’ financial socialization. Results indicate that parental financial socialization was negatively associated with youth’s subsequent victimization of partner economic abuse and Other IPV through a positive association with youth’ healthy financial behaviors. Further, friends’ financial socialization bolstered the positive link between parental financial socialization and youth financial behaviors. The indirect effect of parental financial socialization with youth subsequent victimization of partner economic abuse through youth financial behaviors was larger when youth had (versus had no) friends’ financial socialization. The findings provide some unique insights to parents, schools, social workers, as well as policy makers about potential avenues to reduce victimization of economic abuse and Other IPV among Hong Kong youth from lower SES families.