Impact of Childhood Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence and Other Adversities

Exploring Associations Between Abnormal Weight Classifications and Child Maltreatment Diagnoses

Child maltreatment poses not only immediate danger, but as a type of toxic stress, it creates higher risk of biologic dysfunction later in life. Pediatricians are in a unique position to diagnose child maltreatment, but they need evidence-based guidance for when to initiate screening when injury is occult. In this retrospective cohort study of 855 pediatric patients diagnosed with child maltreatment, researchers explored whether type or number of diagnoses was associated with abnormal pediatric weight in either direction. Diagnoses and weight assessed at intake were extracted from medical records for analysis. Statistically significant associations were found between weight classification and child maltreatment type as well as diagnosis count. Neglect was most frequently diagnosed, and children with ≥2 diagnoses were more likely to be classified as underweight, overweight, or obese. Findings support abnormal pediatric weight as a biologic signal of adversity that warrants safety screening in the clinical setting.

Risk factors for intimate partner violence perpetration among college students: Impact of childhood adversities

Objective Intimate partner violence (IPV) among college students is a significant problem that negatively affects their physical and emotional health. This study aimed at examining risk factors, especially childhood adversities at the individual, relationship, and community levels, of IPV perpetration among college students. Methods: The sample from seven universities in the U.S. and Canada (N = 3,725) completed an online survey. Major variables included IPV perpetration, five types of childhood adversities, alcohol and drug use, depression, and demographic information. Logistic regression was performed. Results: Peer violence victimization, witnessing parental IPV, experiencing child maltreatment, drug use, and depression were associated with a higher odd of perpetrating IPV. Conclusions: Research and practice must account for exposure to multiple risk factors when intervening with college students. An integrative approach that combines trauma-informed interventions with substance use and mental health treatment may be most successful at IPV perpetration prevention and intervention among college students.

The relationship between parental adverse childhood experiences and the health, well-being and development outcomes of their children: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

A growing body of research is emerging regarding the relationship between parental adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and negative health, well-being and developmental outcomes in their children. This systematic review seeks to understand the relationship between parental ACEs and the health, well-being and developmental outcomes of their children and whether the relationships differ according to the number and type of parental ACEs.

STUDY DESIGN

Systematic review.

METHOD

The review includes articles published between 2000 and 2021 from studies using quantitative longitudinal methods and multivariate analysis to investigate the relationship between parental ACEs and their offspring's outcomes. Relevant studies were identified through a systematic search of five databases and findings synthesised using a narrative synthesis. This review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42021274068).

RESULTS

Nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. This resulted in a combined population sample of 124,043 parents and 128,400 children. Diversity in measurement of parental ACE exposure and in the type of ACEs measured within the studies precluded a meta-analysis. Offspring of parents exposed to ACEs had a higher risk of a range of negative health, well-being and developmental outcomes. This relationship differs according to the number and type of parental ACEs, with a positive relationship observed between the number of parental ACEs and the risk of negative health, well-being and development outcomes in their children.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that screening for parental ACEs by health visitors, midwives and other health or social care staff may identify an at-risk population of infants, children and adolescents and improve child outcomes.

The relationship of childhood maltreatment to deviant behaviours among young Iraqi adults: A cross sectional study

BACKGROUND

The exposure to stressful events during childhood may have prolonged effects and is associated with a higher risk of psychopathology during adulthood.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the relationship between exposure to childhood maltreatment and the occurrence of deviant behaviours among Iraqi young adults.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was done from October 2018 to April 2019. A non -random convenient sample that consisted of young adults of age between 18 and 20 years. The childhood maltreatment was measured by Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire, while the deviant behaviours were assessed by Deviant Behaviour Variety Scale.

RESULTS

The participants were 401. There was a positive correlation between ACE score and deviant behaviours score. The male subjects had higher mean of deviant behaviour variety score compare to that of the female subjects. The linear regression model showed that exposure to physical abuse (β = 0.180, p < 0.001), sexual abuse (β = 0.138, p = 0.003) during the first 18 years of age significantly predicts the variety of deviant behaviours.

CONCLUSION

Childhood maltreatment was associated with high risk for deviant behaviours among young Iraqi adults. The physical abuse was the main predictor for deviant behaviours in adulthood.

Evaluating interventions with victims of intimate partner violence: a community psychology approach

Purpose

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is one of the most common forms of domestic violence, with profound implication for women's physical and psychological health. In this text we adopted the Empowerment Process Model (EPM) by Cattaneo and Goodman (Psychol Violence 5(1):84–94) to analyse interventions provided to victims of IPV by a Support Centre for Women (SCW) in Italy, and understand its contribution to women’s empowerment.

Method

We conducted semi-structured interviews with ten women who had been enrolled in a program for IPV survivors at a SCW in the past three years. The interviews focused on the programs’ aims, actions undertaken to reach them, and the impact on the women’s lives, and were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological approach.

Results

Results showed that the interventions provided by the SWC were adapted according to women's needs. In the early phases, women’s primary aim was ending violence, and the intervention by the SCW was deemed as helpful to the extent it provided psychological support, protection and safe housing. Women’s aims subsequently moved to self-actualisation and economic and personal independence which required professional training, internships, and social support. Although satisfying the majority of the women’s expectations, other important needs (e.g., economic support or legal services) were poorly addressed, and cooperation with other services (e.g., police or social services) was sometimes deemed as critical.

Conclusions

By evaluating a program offered by a SCW to IPV survivors through the lens of the EPM model, we found that women deemed the program as effective when both individual resources and empowerment processes were promoted. Strengths, limitations and implications are discussed.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12905-021-01268-7.