Understanding How Intimate Partner Violence Impacts School Age Children's Internalizing and Externalizing Problem...

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Maternal Mental Health
• Domestic Violence Research

Background:

• Intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure is a significant risk factor for adverse child developmental outcomes.
• Maternal mental health and parenting stress are critical factors influencing child adjustment.
• Understanding the interplay between IPV, maternal factors, and child behavior is essential for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the mediating roles of maternal depression and parenting stress in the association between IPV and child internalizing/externalizing problems.
• To examine whether child gender moderates the relationship between IPV and child behavioral outcomes.
• To inform the development of effective interventions for families affected by IPV.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of data from the Hawaii Healthy Start Program involving 214 mothers.
• Logistic regression models to assess associations between IPV and child behaviors (1st-3rd grade).
• Mediation analyses using bootstrapping and stratified models for effect modification by child gender.

Main Results:

• IPV was significantly associated with increased odds of child internalizing (aOR=2.62) and externalizing behaviors (aOR=4.16).
• Maternal depression mediated the IPV-internalizing behavior link; both depression and parenting stress mediated the IPV-externalizing behavior link.
• The association between IPV and externalizing behaviors was significant only for girls.

Conclusions:

• Maternal depression and parenting stress are key pathways through which IPV impacts child behavior.
• Child gender plays a moderating role, with girls being particularly vulnerable to externalizing behaviors following IPV exposure.
• Multicomponent interventions addressing maternal mental health and parenting are crucial for mitigating the effects of IPV on children.