The Relationship Between Children's Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence and an Emotional-Behavioral Disability: A Scoping Review

People with intellectual disability and their risk of exposure to violence: Identification and prevention - a literature review

The aim of the literature review was to identify knowledge and knowledge gaps concerning risks of violence toward children, youth, adults and elderly with intellectual disabilities, and how risks can be identified and prevented. The research revealed that children, youths and adults labelled with intellectual disabilities are more exposed to violence than others and that the target group lack knowledge about risks of violence and what it means to be exposed to violence. It was also found that professionals who work with people with intellectual disabilities may lack knowledge about violence, and those who work with violence lack knowledge about intellectual disabilities. There is thus a need to further elaborate routines to identify exposure to violence, and to identify the target group and a need to create collaborative teams with professionals who have in-depth knowledge of violence, and those who have in-depth knowledge about the target group.

A systematic literature review of protective factors mitigating intimate partner violence exposure on early childhood health outcomes

AIM

The objective of this integrative review was to critically synthesize the evidence on protective factors in early childhood that buffer the effects of exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) on young children's health outcomes.

METHODS

Studies were eligible for inclusion in this review if the article was (a) in English, (b) title or abstract discussed protective factors, buffering, resilience or mitigating factors in early childhood for young children who experienced IPV.

RESULTS

A total of 23 articles of 492 manuscripts identified from the search from peer-reviewed journals from 2010 to 2022 were included. Individual-level protective factors for young children exposed to IPV and include emotional self-regulation, child temperament and child self-esteem. Family-level protective factors were maternal physical and mental health; warm, responsive parenting; knowledge of child development; socioeconomic advantage; caregiver employment; and maternal education.

CONCLUSION

The results of this integrative review highlight the critical importance of a dyadic approach to early childhood intervention. Health and legal systems should not only focus solely on pathology of family violence but also conceptualize treatment and courses of action from a strength-based perspective in order to empower victims of IPV, and promote the safety, health and well-being of children. Future research should examine the role of system-level protective factors.

IMPACT

This review adds to the growing body of the evidence of positive relational health as a key social determinant of health for children. This will be foundational to design interventions that shield children from further harm and promote health, flourishing and recovery from violence and trauma.

Exposure to IPV among Children in the Child Welfare System and an Emotional-Behavioral Disability: the Role of Maternal Depression and Social Support

This study examines the relationship between children's exposure to IPV and EBD among children involved in the child welfare system for suspected maltreatment (both substantiated and unsubstantiated). It specifically examines how children's trauma symptoms, maternal depression, and maternal social support may impact the relationship between exposure to IPV and EBD. This study uses structural equation modeling with data from the second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Wellbeing to examine the relationship between exposure to IPV and EBD among 989 children (ages 8-17) involved in the child welfare system. Moderated mediation was employed to examine whether children's trauma symptoms mediate the relationship between IPV exposure and EBD and whether differences in maternal depression and social support impact such mediation effect. Child trauma symptoms and maternal social support were significantly related to EBD. The current study highlights the relationship between children's trauma symptoms and EBD among children in the child welfare system. The study also provides preliminary evidence for maternal social support as a protective factor for children developing EBD. Implications of this research include providing interventions as well as increasing maternal social support to potentially reduce the likelihood of children developing EBD.