Search

Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects millions of women every year, often resulting in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The strength of the relationship between IPV and PTSD has been shown to be affected by factors such as the amount of violence exposure and the style of coping in which the individual engages. For example, emotion-focused coping has been shown to be strongly related to IPV exposure and the expression of PTSD symptoms. This topic was explored in IPV survivors, with the finding that more frequent use of emotion-focused coping was associated with both higher violence exposure and heightened PTSD symptoms. Regression analyses revealed that emotion-focused coping moderated the relationship between IPV exposure and PTSD symptoms. More specifically, the results suggest that while individuals low on emotion-focused coping had fewer PTSD symptoms than women who frequently used emotion-focused coping, these individuals reported higher PTSD symptoms in the presence of frequent violence exposure. For individuals who frequently engaged in emotion-focused coping, violence exposure was less strongly associated with symptoms of PTSD. Keywords: IPV; PTSD; coping style DOI: 10.1891/0886-6708.25.5.604

Children exposed to overwhelming and potentially traumatic events early in their lives are considered at-risk for problems in adjustment. Yet it is not known whether it is the age of first exposure (AFE) to violence or the amount of violence that the child witnessed in their lifetime that has the greatest impact on adjustment. For a sample of 190 children ages 6 to 12 exposed to intimate partner violence, their mothers reported that the average length of their abusive relationship was 10 years. The majority of children were first exposed to family violence as infants (64%), with only 12cA first exposed when school-aged. Both the AFE and an estimate of the cumulative amount of violence were significantly and negatively related to children's behavioral problems. However, m regression analyses controlling for child sex, ethnicity, age, and family environment variables, cumulative violence exposure accounted for greater variance in adjustment than did AFE. Furthermore, cumulative violence exposure mediated the relationship between AFE and externalizing behavior problems, indicating that the cumulative exposure to IPV outweighed the AFE in its effect on child adjustment. Keywords: violence exposure; domestic violence; child adjustment: externalizing problems; internalizing problems DOI: 10.1891/0886 6708.25.4.427

This study examined why some preschool-age children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) showed deleterious outcomes and others appeared more resilient. Resilience, conceptualized as strengths in emotion regulation and prosocial skills, was evaluated using the Social Competence Scale developed by the Conduct Problem Prevention Research Group. The sample consisted of 56 mothers and their 4- to 6-year-old children exposed to IPV within the past 2 years. After controlling for relevant demographic factors, hierarchical regression analyses indicated that better parenting performance, fewer maternal mental health problems, and less severe violence exposure predicted better emotion regulation and prosocial skill scores, which in turn were negatively correlated with maladaptive child behaviors. These findings can be used to inform and enhance clinical services for children exposed to IPV. Keywords: protective factors; domestic violence; child adjustment; competence; emotion regulation DOI: 10.1891/0886-6708.25.2.150