Abstract
This study examined variations in children’s post-separation adjustment based on child characteristics (gender and age) and maternal experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) during marriage. Mothers (N = 147) recruited within 12 weeks of a divorce filing took part in two interviews three months apart. They reported on marital IPV at Time 1, and their children’s (47% female; ages 3–17) adjustment 3 months later at Time 2. Four aspects of child adjustment were assessed using a standardized measure (hyperactivity, emotional symptoms, conduct problems, peer problems). Mothers were classified as having experienced coercive controlling violence (CCV; 23.8%), situational couple violence (SCV; 27.9%), or no violence (48.3%) during marriage. Gender differences were found on one of the four child adjustment indicators: boys had higher levels of hyperactivity than girls. Among boys but not girls, hyperactivity scores varied based on age and IPV type. Implications for practitioners and researchers are discussed.
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Although IPV occurs in same-sex relationships and is also perpetrated by women against men, this study examined violence perpetrated by men (fathers) against women (mothers).
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Acknowledgements
This project was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to J. Hardesty (R21HD061559A); the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and the Office of Research in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and Hatch Grant 793–348 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
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Mitchell, E.T., Whittaker, A.M., Raffaelli, M. et al. Child Adjustment after Parental Separation: Variations by Gender, Age, and Maternal Experiences of Violence during Marriage. J Fam Viol 36, 979–989 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-021-00252-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-021-00252-x