Intimate Partner Violence Increases Risk For Maternal Maltreatment Of Children

Main Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 16 Nov 2008 - 1:00 PST

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Researchers have found that mothers who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) are at greater risk for maltreating their children than are mothers who do not.

Using a population-based sample of 2,508 participants from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study, researchers examined the associations between IPV, parenting stress, and major depression relating to mothers' mistreatment of their three-year-old children. Researchers found that mothers who experienced IPV compared with those who did not used psychological and physical aggression against their children more frequently and had higher odds of spanking their children and of reporting at least one instance of neglect toward their children.

These findings remained even after controlling for mothers' parenting stress and major depression - two potential confounders of these associations - as well as nearly a dozen covariates associated with IPV and child maltreatment. An important limitation of this study is that only mothers' data was examined; no information was provided about fathers' aggression toward their children.

The researchers concluded, "The need to better integrate IPV and child maltreatment services and prevention efforts has long been recognized; such efforts must carefully balance the needs of both adult and child victims and do so in a way that does not overwhelm child welfare services. … Furthermore, primary prevention strategies aimed at co-occurring family violence are needed. Given that the most successful child maltreatment prevention programs to date have limited effects in the presence of frequent IPV, enhanced home visitation programs are needed to address child maltreatment risk along with co-occurring IPV.

Initiatives aimed at the primary prevention of IPV, especially those that target male and female adolescents, are crucial complements to direct child maltreatment prevention efforts and ought to have a significant indirect impact on the reduction of child maltreatment."

"Intimate Partner Violence, Maternal Stress, Nativity, and Risk for Maternal Maltreatment of Young Children"
Catherine Taylor et al.
American Journal of Public Health

The American Journal of Public Health is the monthly Journal of the American Public Health Association (APHA), the oldest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world. APHA is a leading publisher of books and periodicals promoting sound scientific standards, action programs and public policy to enhance health. More information is available at www.apha.org.

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