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How domestically violent Fathers impact children's social-emotional development: Fathers' psychological functioning,
Catherine Thompson-Walsh1, Katreena L Scott1, Victoria Lishak1
1Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, 252 Bloor St. West, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1C6, Canada.
Child Abuse & Neglect
|January 2, 2021
Summary
Fathers' depression and coparenting issues mediate the link between domestic violence (DV) exposure and child social-emotional problems. Interventions should target these fathering factors to support children exposed to DV.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Child Development
- Family Studies
Background:
- Limited research exists on fathering's impact on children exposed to domestic violence (DV).
- Most children exposed to father-perpetrated DV maintain contact with their fathers.
- Understanding these dynamics is crucial for child well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify pathways linking children's exposure to father-perpetrated DV to social-emotional difficulties.
- To examine psychological, parenting, and coparenting factors in DV-perpetrating fathers as potential mediators.
- To understand how fathering behaviors influence child outcomes in DV contexts.
Main Methods:
- 123 fathers with DV histories and 101 comparison fathers participated.
- Fathers completed self-report measures across two assessment sessions.
- Simple mediation analyses examined pathways between DV perpetration, mediators, and child difficulties.
Main Results:
- Paternal depression, hostility, and coparenting difficulties significantly mediated the relationship between DV exposure and child internalizing/externalizing difficulties.
- Low paternal warmth was linked to externalizing difficulties but not as a mediator.
- Paternal over-reactivity and laxness were not significantly correlated with DV perpetration or child outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Fathers' emotion regulation and coparenting difficulties are key correlates of DV perpetration and child psychological symptoms.
- These factors represent potential targets for parenting interventions with fathers who perpetrate DV.
- Addressing these paternal characteristics may improve social-emotional outcomes for children exposed to domestic violence.
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