The Role of Parenting Stress in Young Children's Mental Health Functioning After Exposure to Family Violence

Abstract

This study evaluates the associations of young children’s exposure to family violence events, parenting stress, and children’s mental health functioning. Caregivers provided data for 188 children ages 3 to 5 years attending Head Start programming. Caregivers reported 75% of children had experienced at least 1 type of trauma event, and 27% of children had experienced a family violence event. Child mental health functioning was significantly associated with family violence exposure after controlling for children’s age, gender, household income, and other trauma exposure (β = .14, p = .033). Stress in the parenting role partially mediated the relationship between family violence exposure and young children’s mental health functioning (β = .12, p = .015, 95% confidence interval [0.02, 0.21]). Interventions for young children exposed to family violence should address the needs of the child, as well as the caregiver while also building healthy parent–child relationships to facilitate positive outcomes in children faced with trauma.

Childhood maltreatment and violence: Mediation through psychiatric morbidity

“…For the parents, being a victim of domestic violence has profoundly negative physical and mental health consequences (Riggs, Caulfield, & Street, 2000), which in turn may limit a parent's ability to provide a safe, consistent and nurturing environment (Cleaver et al 2011). There is also evidence that the effect of witnessing domestic violence on child behavior problems is mediated by parenting stress (Roberts, Campbell, Ferguson, & Crusto, 2013). Perpetration of domestic violence is also associated with parental mental health difficulties and alcohol and substance misuse (Riggs et al, 2000), which are themselves risk factors for children developing later mental health problems of their own.…”

The Link between Types of Attachment and Childhood Trauma

“…Affliction experienced by the babies when their relationships are disrupted affects their development process. Unprocessed trauma disturbs mental functioning and affects the new relationships: children prefer relationships which lead to new traumas [29].…”

Female adolescents' recognitions concerning family cruelty in Babylon

“…The analyst anticipate their mindfulness about the issues they will presented to which is upheld by (Roberts & et al, 2013) who presumed that involvement to viciousness may speak to a noteworthy hazard for the poor advancement of youthful kids. The aftereffects of present review were available as moderate level of discernments about family cruelty which appeared in table (1) brought about (30-39 as 72%) from the aggregate example incorporated into the review with mean of score 33.40 with ST. 4.659.…”

“…Youthful youngsters' exposition to family cruelty is a noteworthy broad medical issue that it by nature is frequently constant and rehashed, both of which may compound child symptomatology and prompt to maladaptive working (Roberts et al, 2013). Youth and pre-adult physical and sexual assault were emphatically connected with weakness; weight, wretchedness, and substance utilize (tobacco, liquor, and medications) among young people.…”