Child-Reported Family Violence: A Systematic Review of Available Instruments

The impact of family violence (FV) on children is a significant global public policy issue. Earliest identification of FV among children is critical for preventing escalating sequelae. While practitioners routinely ask adults about FV, there are relatively few measures that enable children to reliably self-report on their own safety. This review sought to systematically identify and appraise all available child self-report measures for screening and assessment of FV in both clinical and research settings. Database searching was conducted in January 2022. Articles were eligible for review if they included a validated child (5-18 years) self-report measure of FV (including victimization, perpetration, and/or exposure to inter-parental violence). Screening of an initial 4,714 records identified a total of 85 articles, representing 32 unique validated instruments. Results provide an up-to-date catalog of child self-report measures of FV, intended to benefit practitioners, services and researchers in selecting appropriate tools, and in understanding their suitability and limitations for different cohorts and practice goals. While just under half of the measures captured both exposure to inter-parental violence and direct victimization, none captured all three domains of exposure, victimization and perpetration together. Instruments with provision for input from multiple respondents (e.g., both child and parent report) and with assessment of contextual risk factors were few. Findings point to the need for developmentally appropriate, whole-of-family screening and assessment frameworks to support children in the early identification of family safety concerns.

Child-to-Parent Violence as an Intervening Variable in the Relationship between Inter-Parental Violence Exposure and Dating Violence

The exposure of adult children to inter-parental violence is an indirect form of victimization which has not been widely investigated in relation to its consequences in adulthood. The main goal of this study was to analyze predictors of dating violence based on an integrated model of intergenerational transmission of violence with the assessment of potential indirect effects of inter-parental violence exposure on dating violence through child-to-parent violence and sexism. A total of 847 college students participated in this study, ranging from 18 to 25 years of age. Inter-parental violence exposure plays a relevant role in dating violence, with indirect effects through child-to-parent violence and sexism. These results support social learning theory in explaining the intergenerational transmission of violence and indicate that further attention should be paid to children exposed to inter-parental violence. Intervention models to prevent the perpetration of dating violence should include the prevention of inter-parental violence exposure and child-to-parent violence.

Impact of early-life stress and resilience on patients with major depressive disorder

PURPOSE

Early-life stress (ELS) has a long-lasting effect on affective function and may entail an increased risk for major depressive disorder (MDD). However, resilience can play a protective role against developing psychopathology. In this study, we investigated the relationships of depressive symptoms with ELS and resilience in MDD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-six patients with MDD as well as age- and gender-matched healthy controls were included in this study. Each subject was assessed concerning ELS, resilience, and depressive symptom severity with self-report questionnaires. Independent samples t-test and Mann-Whitney test were performed to compare ELS and resilience between the patient and control groups. Spearman correlation analyses and linear regression analysis were conducted to investigate significant ELS and resilience factors associated with depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

In the MDD patient group, subjects reported greater exposure to inter- parental violence, and five factor scores on the resilience scale were significantly lower in comparison to the control group. In linear regression analysis, in regards to resilience, depressive symptom score was significantly associated with self-confidence and self-control factors; however, ELS demonstrated no significant association with depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Among resilience factors, self-confidence and self-control may ameliorate depressive symptoms in MDD. ELS, including inter-parental violence, physical abuse and emotional abuse, might be a risk factor for developing depression. Assessment of early-life stress and intervention programs for increasing resilience capacity would be helpful in treating MDD.