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A qualitative study examined children's subjective perception of their mother's situation during their stay in shelters for battered women (SBW). Thirty-two children, aged 7–12 years, who were staying with their mothers in SBWs participated in this study. Thematic analysis revealed the following two core themes: children's perceptions and insights, and feelings that were related to their perceptions. The findings are discussed in light of the concepts of exposure to IPV as a lived trauma, and re-exposure to violence in new contexts, and the role of the relationship with the abused mother in shaping the child's well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive research has been conducted on the effects of children's exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV). Nonetheless, there is a dearth of research on children's subjective perception of the process of leaving their home with their mother to shelters for battered women. Based on thematic analysis of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 32 Israeli 7- to 12-year-old children, the results revealed the following three main themes: violence against the mother in general, the way they left for the shelter, and the reasons and circumstances of leaving the home and community. The results are discussed in light of the cognitive-structural framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]