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This study examined typologies of childhood polyvictimization and the associations of profiles with demographic characteristics at the levels of child, household, and primary caregiver. This study evaluated a sample of children aged 4 to 17 years residing in San Juan de Lurigancho District, an urban setting on the edge of Lima, Peru (n = 384). An in-person interview of the primary caregiver of each child was conducted in June 2018, assessing the victimization of the child, the caregiver's exposure to trauma and abuse, and general socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of the household. Latent class analysis was used to identify typologies of child victimization. Follow-up analysis was conducted to quantify differences between the classes which emerged, in terms of the child, caregiver, and household. Five classes emerged: High Peer victimization, Moderate Community victimization; High Community victimization; Verbal Abuse; High victimization across domains; and Low victimization across domains. Caregiver exposure to trauma was positively associated with membership in the high-exposure classes. This study offers a unique opportunity to more deeply understand childhood exposure to violence in Latin America, specifically in an urban setting in Peru, and to further understand how childhood victimization is associated with various characteristics of the child, caregiver, and household. These findings could inform interventions supporting children and families at risk of exposure to violence in Peru or globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing research has suggested children of caregivers with histories of exposure to trauma are at heightened risk for victimization, but few studies have explored potential mechanisms that explain this intergenerational transmission of risk. With data from peri-urban households in Lima, Peru (N = 402), this study analyzes parenting behaviors in the relation between caregivers' trauma history and child victimization for children aged 4–17. Results indicated caregivers' trauma history and negative parenting behaviors related to child victimization, and negative parenting behaviors mediated this relation. Positive parenting behaviors did not have significant direct effects and were not mediators of risk transmission. Parenting behaviors did not moderate the relation between caregiver and child victimization, suggesting parenting behaviors may not buffer or exacerbate intergenerational transmission. Post-hoc analyses revealed family type (e.g., single, cohabitating/married) exerted significant direct and moderating effects on child risk, interacting with positive parenting. Families with married/cohabitating caregivers reported overall lower levels of child victimization; however, the relation between positive parenting and victimization was slightly stronger for children in single-parent families. Results highlight potential pathways of the intergenerational cycle of victimization and suggest high-risk families in Peru may benefit from parenting supports, especially pertaining to remediation of negative parenting behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very little work has examined potential moderating effects in the link between prenatal intimate partner violence (IPV) and infant adjustment, especially in the first critical weeks following delivery. The current study evaluated the protective role of breastfeeding in the relationship between prenatal IPV and infant temperament at 4 months. Pregnant women (n = 82) were interviewed during pregnancy and at 6 weeks and 4 months postpartum. It was hypothesized that (a) prenatal IPV would predict infant temperament outcomes at the 4-month postpartum visit, and (b) breastfeeding continuation at 6 weeks acts as a protective factor such that breastfed infants will be less affected by the risk posed by prenatal IPV. Results indicated direct and negative effects of prenatal IPV on positive affectivity/surgency and orienting/regulatory capacity at 4 months. A significant moderating effect of breastfeeding at 6 weeks postpartum was identified. Mothers who were not breastfeeding at 6 weeks postpartum demonstrated the expected negative relationship between prenatal IPV exposure and infant adjustment, but if mothers were breastfeeding at 6 weeks postpartum, the relationship between IPV exposure and infant positive affectivity/surgency and orienting/regulatory capacity was not significantly different from zero. Results indicate a significant protective effect of breastfeeding in the intergenerational transmission of risk for infants born to mothers exposed to IPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pregnant Moms' Empowerment Program (PMEP) is a brief, group intervention for pregnant women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). This study was a quasirandomized trial of the effects of PMEP on parenting. Participants were 137 pregnant women exposed to IPV in the past year; 82 received PMEP and 55 were in a no-treatment control condition. Participants completed four assessments (pretest [T1], posttest [T2], 3-month postpartum[T3], and 12-month postpartum [T4]). At T1–T4, women self-reported on their parenting attitudes (i.e., expectations of children, parental empathy, corporal punishment, parent–child family roles) and parenting confidence. At the postpartum assessments, mother–infant dyads participated in a videorecorded free play session that was coded for warm-sensitive parenting. Results showed that women who received PMEP had more appropriate expectations of children (β = 0.51, 95% CI [0.03, 0.99], dr = 0.53, 95% CI [0.31, 1.02]) and higher empathy toward children (β = 0.64, 95% CI [0.05, 1.23], dr = 0.53, 95% CI [0.04, 1.02]) at T2, as compared to women in the control group. Women who received PMEP also showed more warm-sensitive parenting at T4 (Wald χ2 = 4.01, p =.045; R2 = 5.58%, d = 0.41, 95% CI [0.07, 0.88]) as compared to women in the control group. No differences emerged on corporal punishment, parent–child family roles, postpartum empathy and expectations of children, parenting confidence, or 3-month postpartum parenting behaviors. Thus, results were mixed, with some short-term positive effects and other benefits emerging only at 1-year postpartum. Findings highlight the potential clinical utility of brief interventions for pregnant, IPV-exposed women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Breastfeeding has myriad benefits for mother-child dyads, but women exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) are less likely to sustain breastfeeding. Prior studies, however, have not analyzed mothers' breastfeeding attitudes in relation to breastfeeding behavior, IPV, and psychopathology. Further, little research has examined distinctive effects of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depression on breastfeeding behaviors and attitudes in IPV-exposed women. This study examines breastfeeding attitudes, psychopathology, and IPV as predictors of breastfeeding continuation, the prospective role of IPV for psychopathology and breastfeeding attitudes, and reciprocal relations among psychopathology and breastfeeding attitudes. Method: The current study includes a longitudinal sample of women ( N = 83) recruited from a low-income clinic. Eligibility criteria included: pregnant and over age 18 at baseline. Data were collected during pregnancy and at 6 weeks and 4 months postpartum. Participants reported on psychopathology, IPV exposure, and breastfeeding behaviors and attitudes through prenatal interviews and postpartum surveys. Hypotheses were tested using cross-lagged models. Results: IPV, psychopathology, and breastfeeding attitudes were not related to breastfeeding continuation at 4 months postpartum. PTSS (β = .76, p < .001) and breastfeeding attitudes (β = -.19, p < .05) at 6 weeks postpartum predicted PTSS at 4 months, but not subsequent breastfeeding attitudes. Depression at 6 weeks postpartum predicted depression (β = .63, p < .001) and breastfeeding attitudes (β = -.48, p < .001) at 4 months postpartum. IPV was not significant in any model. Conclusions: Although depression severity was not associated with breastfeeding cessation, it was associated with less positive attitudes about breastfeeding, suggesting lactation supports may benefit from content addressing mothers' mental health needs and emotional experiences nursing newborns. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).