The Nature and Extent of Qualitative Research Conducted With Children About Their Experiences of Domestic Violence: Findings From a Meta-Synthesis

Abstract

Domestic violence is a significant issue experienced by many children that can have a detrimental impact on their health, development, and well-being. This article reports on the findings of a meta-synthesis that examined the nature and extent of qualitative studies conducted with children about their experience of domestic violence. Studies were identified by a search of electronic databases and included gray literature. Studies were included for review if they were published between 1996 and 2016, were from countries considered as comparable Western nations to Australia and available in the English language, and reported on qualitative studies that directly engaged with children under the age of 18 years on their experiences of intimate partner violence involving one or more of their parents/carers. Forty peer-reviewed publications that reported on 32 studies were included for the review. This study was unique in that it included child participation measures to assess the quality of available studies. This article explores the contribution that research with children has made to our understandings of, and responses to, domestic violence, and provides a critique of the limitations and gaps evident in the extant qualitative research with children on the issue of domestic violence. The article considers implications for future research, policy, and practice and in particular focuses our attention on the need to engage more children more fully in participatory research in the field of domestic violence.

Witnessing Intimate Partner Violence as a Child and Associated Consequences

“…In contrast to hypotheses 1 and 3, as well as to some other studies (e.g. Lucia &Killias, 2011; Noble-Carr et al, 2019; Phillips & Phillips, 2010), but in line with Herrera and McCloskey (2003; for violent behaviour), witnessing physical IPV shows no significant effect within the model that includes violent behaviour, affinity for violence and masculinity norms legitimizing violence as dependent variables in the present study. In these models, delinquent friends (as the independent variable) provided the most important influence.…”

“…In addition, Noble-Carr et al (2019) observed a relativizing attitude towards violence when children witnessed IPV at home (e.g. children described domestic and family violence as fights or arguing; see also Karlsson et al, 2016; Ruel et al, 2020).…”

Ethically Driven and Methodologically Tailored: Setting the Agenda for Systematic Reviews in Domestic Violence and Abuse

“…Systematic reviews are reviews of ‘existing research using explicit, accountable rigorous research methods’ (Gough et al, 2017b , p. 2). Over the past fifteen years, there has been a significant expansion in the conduct and publication of systematic reviews in the field of DVA (MacGregor et al, 2014 ), spanning a wide range of topics from perpetrator programmes (for example, see Bell & Coates, 2022 ) to children’s experiences of domestic abuse (Noble-Carr et al, 2021 ). This body of review level evidence has a critical role to play in developing effective policies and programmes to prevent, reduce and mitigate the effects of DVA across multiple sectors, including public health, criminal justice, and social work (Addis & Snowdon, 2021 ).…”

“…Nevertheless, DVA research also offers possibilities for systematic reviewers. The field is growing, underpinned by a rich scholarship on ethical considerations (Bender, 2017 ) and includes a high number of methodological robust qualitative studies, although they tend to be poorly reported (Arai et al, 2021 ; Meyer et al, 2020 ; Noble-Carr et al, 2021 ). A further strength rests with the collaborative and transdisciplinary nature of DVA research, with a significant proportion of studies undertaken and published through non-academic channels, and typically dispersed across disciplines and sectors (Bender, 2017 ; Konya et al, 2020 ).…”

Youth Attitudes to Domestic and Family Violence: A Scoping Review of Young People’s Attitudes and Perceptions in Australia

“…Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are approximately five times more likely to experience DFV than non-Aboriginal women and 35 times more likely to be hospitalized as a result of being subjected to DFV (Blagg, Williams et al, 2018). DFV can have long-term impacts and increases the risk for mental health issues as well as social, behavioral, and learning difficulties (Campo, 2015; Campo & Tayton, 2015; Clark & Graham-Bermann, 2017; Noble-Carr et al, 2019). In addition, it is estimated that over two thirds of women who have reported experiencing DFV had children in their care at the time of the perpetration of violence (ABS, 2017).…”