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Trajectories of traumatic stress reactions in children exposed to intimate partner violence

Laurien Meijer1, Catrin Finkenauer1, Bas Tierolf2

  • 1Utrecht University, PO Box 80125, 3508 TC, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS, Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Child Abuse & Neglect
|May 21, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) exhibit diverse traumatic stress reaction patterns over time. Parental stress and child emotional security significantly influence these trajectories, aiding early identification of at-risk youth.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Trauma Studies
  • Family Violence Research

Background:

  • Understanding longitudinal patterns of traumatic stress reactions in children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) is crucial for early identification of at-risk children.
  • Childhood exposure to IPV can lead to varied and complex psychological responses over time.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the different trajectories of traumatic stress reactions in children following IPV exposure.
  • To examine the relationship between these trajectories, parental traumatic stress, and child emotional security within the interparental subsystem.

Main Methods:

  • Latent class growth analysis and linear regression were used to analyze parent-reported questionnaire data from three waves.
  • The study included 303 children (aged 3-10) from families referred due to IPV, with data collected at home.

Main Results:

  • Five distinct trajectories of traumatic stress reactions were identified: 'resilient', 'moderate stable', 'struggling', 'improving', and 'elevated adjusting'.
  • Only the 'struggling' trajectory showed dysfunctional symptom levels at the final assessment.
  • Higher parental traumatic stress predicted an 'improving' trajectory, while lower parental stress and child emotional insecurity predicted a 'resilient' trajectory. Higher child emotional insecurity predicted trajectories with higher initial traumatic stress.

Conclusions:

  • Children exposed to IPV demonstrate diverse longitudinal patterns of traumatic stress reactions, some aligning with findings in other populations.
  • Parental traumatic stress and child emotional security are significant predictors of these trajectory memberships.
  • Child emotional security did not buffer the impact of parental traumatic stress on the likelihood of dysfunctional trajectory membership.
Abstract

Keywords:
Child emotional securityIntimate partner violenceTraumatic stress trajectories

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