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

Abstract

Applying focus group methodology, this article explores urban battered mothers' perceptions oftheir preschool children's exposure to domestic violence. It also examines mothers' reportsabout their young children's functioning and traumatic stress symptoms and the connectionswomen make between their own experiences of victimization by partners and their children's difficulties.Finally, this research describes the challenges abused mothers relate in their efforts toparent in the context of domestic violence. The sample consists of 43 women from diversesociodemographic backgrounds who participated in five focus groups in New York City. Findingssuggest that battered mothers have a wide range of awareness of their children's exposure todomestic violence and its possible effects on their preschoolers, including traumatic impact.Women identified parenting burdens related to domestic violence including efforts to preventaggression and victimization in their children. The implications for intervention with batteredwomen and their preschool children are presented.

The child as held in the mind of the mother: The influence of prenatal maternal representations on parenting behaviors

“…Thus, exposure to IPV can be expected to influence a woman's functioning in many domains, including her parenting. Indeed, prior research has suggested that IPV has a negative influence on parenting behaviors (DeVoe & Smith, 2002;Levendosky, Lynch, & Graham-Bermann, 2000). Parenting may be impaired because of the stress of experiencing IPV and its resultant negative effects on the mental health of the woman (Astin, Lawrence, & Foy, 1993;Astin, Ogland Hand, Coleman, & Foy, 1995;Vitanza, Vogel, & Marshall, 1995).…”

The Canadian child welfare system response to exposure to domestic violence investigations

“…Victimized mothers fear that their children may be removed if the family comes into contact with child welfare services (Devoe & Smith, 2002). Indeed, there is some evidence in the literature that the child welfare system can be overly intrusive.…”

Consequences of Childhood Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence

“…This is difficult to measure among 0 and 1 year olds. Only two studies (DeVoe et al 2002 and as part of a meta-analysis of all ages) examined the age range at all.…”

“…bullying) could also be added to this category. The only studies of this topic for the 0-1 age group are those of , which is a meta-analysis of all ages which finds a positive relationship between social problems and exposure, and DeVoe & Smith (2002), which finds a positive relationship between social problems and exposure.…”

“…This is difficult to measure among 0 and 1 year olds. Only two studies (DeVoe et al 2002 and as part of a meta-analysis of all ages) examined the age range at all.The DeVoe study found a positive association between exposure to domestic violence and P.T.S.D for the 1-6 age range. The meta-analysis found positive results for the 1-adult age range.…”