NCJ Number
223669
Journal
Journal of Emotional Abuse Volume: 8 Issue: 1/2 Dated: 2008 Pages: 121-103
Date Published
2008
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study identified the protective factors or resiliencies that contributed to adaptive outcomes for adults exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) as children.
Abstract
One of the main reasons the study participants were resilient to the trauma of exposure to IPV as children was their development of an ability to regulate their emotions as they matured. In addition, all 10 participants reported having a social support network as an important feature of managing stress and adversity. New assessment tools that measure resilience among individuals who experience adversities are expected to assist with clinical intervention by identifying strengths at early ages. This will enable treatment providers to focus on the resources already present within children that can help them manage the stress accompanying exposure to IPV. Future research should identify the key resilience and protective factors prevalent in more racially, ethnically, and sexually diverse populations. Study participants were two men and eight women who were exposed to IPV in the household where they were raised, were currently in nonviolent heterosexual romantic relationships, and had normative mental health. The latter was determined by an assessment with the Detailed Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress (Briere, 2001) and the Personality Assessment Screener (Morey, 1997). None of the participants had experienced childhood physical/sexual abuse. Participants completed a semistructured, indepth interview. Topics addressed included experiences of exposure to IPV as a child and the internal/individual characteristics, family characteristics, and external factors that contributed to his/her resilience. Questions were derived from themes in the literature regarding resilience. 3 tables and 25 references