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Examination of protective factors that promote prosocial skill development among children exposed to intimate partner

Megan R Holmes1, Anna E Bender1,2, Susan Yoon3

  • 1Center on Trauma and Adversity, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.

Development and Psychopathology
|February 28, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure and low income negatively impact child prosocial skills development. Maternal responsiveness and education can foster positive developmental trajectories in at-risk children.

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Psychology
  • Social Work

Background:

  • Child welfare involvement and intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure are significant risk factors for developmental challenges.
  • Understanding heterogeneity in prosocial skill development is crucial for targeted interventions.
  • Protective factors within children's environments can mitigate negative impacts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine prosocial skills development in child welfare-involved children.
  • To investigate how IPV exposure influences these developmental trajectories.
  • To assess the role of protective factors in promoting prosocial skills.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective cohort study using data from 1,678 children (ages 3-10) from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being I.
  • Cohort-sequential growth mixture modeling to identify developmental pathways.
  • Analysis of risk factors (IPV, poverty) and protective factors (maternal education, responsiveness).

Main Results:

  • Four distinct prosocial skill development trajectories were identified: high subtle-decreasing, high decreasing-to-increasing, low stable, and low increasing-to-decreasing.
  • IPV exposure, child welfare history, and low income were associated with less favorable developmental pathways.
  • Higher maternal education and responsiveness were linked to more positive trajectories, particularly the low increasing-to-decreasing group.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal responsiveness is a key protective factor for prosocial skill development in vulnerable children.
  • Interventions should focus on enhancing maternal responsiveness and providing support to families involved with child welfare.
  • Clinical assessments and parenting programs should consider IPV exposure and socioeconomic factors.

Keywords:
Child maltreatmentintimate partner violencelongitudinalprosocial skill development

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