Impact of Domestic Violence on Urban Preschool Children: Battered Mothers' Perspectives

• NCJ Number: 210071
• Journal: Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 17 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2002 Pages: 1075-1101
• Author(s): Ellen R. DeVoe; Erica L. Smith
• Date Published: October 2002
• Length: 27 pages
• Grant Number(s): R03MH61762-01
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study used focus-group methodology to examine battered women's perceptions of the extent to which their young children had been exposed to or were aware of domestic violence; the connections the mothers made between their own experiences of abuse by partners and any difficulties their children were having; and the challenges of parenting in the context of domestic violence.

Abstract

During the summer of 2000, women were recruited for the study from three sites within a large social and legal services agency that serves domestic-violence victims throughout New York City. A total of 43 women participated in 1 of 5 focus groups. The women reported experiencing at least one form of domestic violence within the past 18 months. Their children ranged in age from 22 months to 6 years, and the average length of relationships with abusive partners was 6 years. Each focus group addressed the same questions, which pertained to witnessing domestic violence and its impact on young children, communications with young children about domestic violence, parenting and sources of parenting stress, and support and intervention. Following the focus groups, the women completed a questionnaire on demographics, family structure, relationship status and history, and contact with abusive partners. The study found that most women were acutely aware of the many ways in which their children had been exposed to domestic violence. Across focus groups, the women identified a number of behavioral, emotional, and self-regulation difficulties among their children; however, there was variation in the degree to which the women connected their children's behavior to their exposure to domestic violence. The women also identified significant challenges in efforts to provide appropriate nurturing and behavioral control with their children in the context of domestic violence. Implications of these findings are drawn for research and intervention. 46 references