Young children’s experiences of participating in group treatment for children exposed to intimate partner violence: A qualitative study

Abstract

The risk of exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) between caregivers is increased during early childhood. The adverse effects on the health and development of the youngest children may be severe. Effective and promising interventions for children who have experienced IPV have been developed and evaluated. However, there is a lack in knowledge about how the children themselves experience the interventions. The aim of this study was to contribute to the evaluation of group treatment designed to improve the psychological health of young children in the aftermath of family violence by elucidating the children's experiences of participating. Nine children, aged 4 to 6 years, were interviewed after participating in group programmes specifically designed for children who have been exposed to intimate partner violence. A semi-structured interview guide with open-ended questions was used. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, to ensure a focus on the children's own views and experiences. Five master themes embracing the children's experiences were identified: joy - positive emotional experience of participation; security - feeling safe; relatedness - relationships within the group; to talk - externalised focus on the violence; and competence - new knowledge and skills. Theoretical and clinical implications and the benefit of including very young children's views and experiences in research are discussed.

Users’ experiences of trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy for children and adolescents: a systematic review and metasynthesis of qualitative research

“…The TF-CBT protocol developed by [1] was used in four studies, along with adaptations to incorporate contextual and cultural concerns [31][32][33][34]. Other variants of TF-CBT were used, including Stepped TF-CBT, a parent-led, therapistassisted version of TF-CBT [35]; Cognitive Behavioural Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) [36]; and manualised trauma-focused psychotherapeutic group interventions [37,38]. Four studies described individual TF-CBT [31,[33][34][35], and four studies addressed group formats [32,[36][37][38].…”

“…Other variants of TF-CBT were used, including Stepped TF-CBT, a parent-led, therapistassisted version of TF-CBT [35]; Cognitive Behavioural Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) [36]; and manualised trauma-focused psychotherapeutic group interventions [37,38]. Four studies described individual TF-CBT [31,[33][34][35], and four studies addressed group formats [32,[36][37][38]. Treatment was delivered in residential shelters for victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation [31], child protection centres [32], mental health clinics [33], schools [36][37], and at home with some sessions at the therapist's office [35].…”

“…Treatment was delivered in residential shelters for victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation [31], child protection centres [32], mental health clinics [33], schools [36][37], and at home with some sessions at the therapist's office [35]. Four studies did not mention any caregiver involvement [31,33,[37][38], while significant caregiver involvement was employed in four studies [32,34,[35][36].…”

“…The majority of study samples consisted of adolescents [31][32][33][34][35][36][37], with one study conducted among children aged 4-6 years [38]. Participants were exposed to a wide range of traumatic events, such as physical and sexual abuse, domestic violence, witnessing Intimate Partner Violence, peer violence, accidents, sudden death of a parent, and war.…”

“…Participants were exposed to a wide range of traumatic events, such as physical and sexual abuse, domestic violence, witnessing Intimate Partner Violence, peer violence, accidents, sudden death of a parent, and war. Seven studies used individual interviews to access participant experiences [31][32][33][34][35][36]38], while one study used focus groups for data collection [37].…”