What Happens to Children When Their Mothers are Battered?: Results From a Four City Anonymous Telephone Survey

• NCJ Number: 219626
• Journal: Journal of Family Violence Volume: 22 Issue: 5 Dated: July 2007 Pages: 309-317
• Author(s): Lyungai F. Mbilinyi; Jeffrey L. Edleson; Annelies K. Hagemeister; Sandra K. Beeman
• Date Published: July 2007
• Length: 9 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Using a four city anonymous telephone survey, this study examined what happened to children when domestic violence was committed against their mothers.

Abstract

The findings confirmed the seriousness and widespread nature of co-occurring mother and child exposure to violence. The interviews revealed that women and children were often injured while trying to protect one another from violence. Specifically, over a third of mothers reported that their children were injured during an incident of adult domestic violence, and over one-quarter of the mothers reported their the abusive partner intentionally injured their children when the child intervened in the abuse. Almost one-quarter of mothers reported their children being made by the abuser to witness the physical or sexual abuse of their mother. The findings suggest that collaborations between child protection and battered women’s services needs further enhancing and that prevention and early intervention services to families experiencing domestic violence should be augmented to focus on the protection of both women and children. Future research should focus on the relationships between race/ethnic markers and children’s intentional injuries during adult domestic violence. Participants were 111 battered women who were recruited using flyers and brochures placed at domestic violence service providers in four U.S. cities: Dallas, Minneapolis/St. Paul, San Jose, and Pittsburg. The flyers contained an 800 number and asked interested women to call. Telephone interviews focused on the development and interaction of violence in the family; the frequency, duration, and severity of violence; emotional abuse; sexual abuse; the impact of violence on other areas of their lives; and their children’s involvement in violent events. Data were analyzed using bivariate and logistic regression models. Tables, footnotes, appendix, references