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Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious health and social problem that affects all members of the family, and has severe consequences for the victims and for those who witness IPV. This study examines the extent to which IPV help-seeking women who in addition had experienced violence in their family of origin reported differently about mental health problems, shame, guilt, and responsibility for IPV, than women without exposure in childhood. Method: The research project is a cross-sectional study of a representative sample of IPV help seeking women (N = 157) of which n = 90 also had experienced violence in their family of origin. The women were interviewed by questionnaire. Results: Women with exposure of sexual violence in family of origin reported 11 times higher risk of feeling guilt for current IPV than women without this prior experience. Women exposed to physical and psychological violence in their own family of origin reported significantly more mental health symptoms than women without this additional burden. Conclusion: IPV is complex and can not be viewed as a homogeneous experience. Violence occurs in the context of interacting factors by both perpetrator and victim, the context in which the violence occurs, historical, cultural and social factors, which all together affects the impact on mental health consequences. The study provides support for the dose-response hypotheses regarding the extent of violence and the extent of mental health problems

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