Children Whose Fathers Seek Help for Partner Violence Victimization: Descriptive Characteristics and Their Behavioral...

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Partner violence (PV) victimization impacts children's behavioral health.
• Existing research predominantly focuses on children of battered women.
• Limited understanding of children's outcomes when fathers are victims of PV.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine sociodemographic characteristics and behavioral health of children whose fathers sought help for PV victimization.
• To compare these children to a general population sample.
• To identify specific behavioral health risks in children of male PV victims.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of children whose fathers sought help for PV victimization versus children from the general population.
• Assessment of sociodemographic factors, including living arrangements.
• Evaluation of behavioral health using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-related criteria.

Main Results:

• Children of fathers seeking help for PV victimization were less likely to reside with their fathers.
• Children of male PV victims exhibited elevated behavioral health scores in DSM-related areas.
• These findings persisted in multivariate analyses, particularly for older children.

Conclusions:

• Children of fathers experiencing partner violence victimization are at increased risk for behavioral health problems.
• The study underscores the need to consider male victims of PV and their children in social services and research.
• Interventions should address the unique needs of children exposed to partner violence, regardless of the victim's gender.