This OJJDP grant sponsored factsheet looks at the co-occurrence of intimate partner violence and child maltreatment.
Research into the co-occurrence of intimate partner violence and child maltreatment shows that: 1) children growing up in families in which intimate partner violence (IPV) takes place are at increased risk to become victims of child maltreatment (CM); 2) children who witnessed IPV in the past year were almost four times more likely to experience CM in the same year compared to children who did not witness IPV; 3) children who are exposed to both types of violence typically show more emotional and behavioral problems and are more at risk of becoming involved in violence later in life; 4) children who live in homes with IPV are more likely to be sexually abused than children who do not live in homes with adult violence; and 5) the most common form of child maltreatment co-occurring with IPV is neglect.
Risk factors for co-occurrence of IPV with CM are: 1) lower levels of economic status and education, and higher levels of neighborhood policing activity, immigrant concentration, and residential instability; 2) acceptance of family violence, including acceptability of violence in intimate partner and parent–child relationships; and 3) parental drug or alcohol addiction.