Mothers’ Experience of Intimate Partner Violence and Subsequent Offspring Attachment Security Ages 1–5 Years: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Attachment status in early childhood is a key yet modifiable contributor to the development of social–emotional competence. The security and organization of the infant–mother attachment bond is particularly susceptible to stressors in the caregiving environment. While the impacts of normative interparental conflict on infant attachment are increasingly understood, the potentially unique place of intimate partner violence (IPV) in this pathway has been under-researched. This study surveyed all empirical work in this area, including unpublished literature ( k = 6, N = 3,394), to examine meta-analytic associations between maternal experiences of IPV and offspring attachment security (ages 1–5 years) measured at least 6 months post-IPV exposure. Mothers’ reports of IPV from pregnancy onward were inversely associated with offspring attachment security, r = −.23, CI [−0.42, −0.04], p = .02. Sample risk characteristics (e.g., clinical vs. community) moderated this association; child’s age at attachment measurement and method of assessing child attachment (e.g., observational, representational, parent report) also moderated at a trend level. Implications for early screening, intervention, and future research are discussed.

Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Parenting and Children’s Externalizing Behaviors: Transactional Processes Over Time

“…The aim of this study is to understand how changes in children’s externalizing behaviors are associated with changes in parenting outcomes such the as mother–child relationship and parental spanking in the context of IPV. IPV that occurs in the home affects mothers and children, often undermining the relationships between mothers and their children ( Levendosky et al, 2012 ; McIntosh et al, 2019 ; Renner & Boel-Studt, 2013 ). This study focused on a sample of older children age 10–14 years—a relatively overlooked population in this area of research.…”

Practicing Best Practice: A 10‐Year Retrospective on Universal Risk Screening in a Mediation and Counseling Organization

“…While robust population estimates for infants and preschoolers are not available, research suggests exposures to inter‐parental violence are highest for children under 5 years old (e.g. De Maio et al, 2013; McIntosh, Tan, Levendosky, & Holtzworth‐Munroe, 2019). Repeated research confirms that IPV is highly gendered and is highly correlated with other risks to adult and child mental health, parenting stress, drug and alcohol concerns, and life stressors (McIntosh et al, 2021).…”

Custody and Care of Children in Spain: Can the Two Rights be Reconciled?

“…In a relationship where there is abuse, conflict is a constant because through it one partner maintains coercive control, which Samantha Jeffries defines as "a pattern of on-going intentional domineering tactics employed by (usually) male perpetrators with the intent of governing their female victim's thoughts, beliefs or conduct and/or to punish them for resisting their regulation" (Jeffries 2016, 1). And to avoid negative consequences, such as insecure attachment in younger children, support should be provided to mothers who suffer violence and the sooner, the better (McIntosh et al 2019). Intervention is needed to avoid far-reaching consequences over time, such as the vicious circle of economic ause and "custody stalking" (Elizabeth 2017).…”