Specific assessment and intervention strategies for children exposed to wife battering: preliminary empirical investigations

Abstract

VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: The intent of this article by Jaffe et al. was to assess the attitudes of children who witness domestic violence against women, and to evaluate an intervention program for children which addresses their special developmental needs. METHODOLOGY: The initial study employed a matched group survey of 28 children who had not been exposed to domestic violence and 28 children who had been exposed to domestic violence. A non probability sample was achieved through a newspaper advertisement which sought children who had not been exposed to wife abuse and through 28 volunteers who were ex-residents of a regional shelters (no location identified). The Child Witness to Violence Interview (42 questions) was developed to assess three issues previously identified by research and clinical observations as important for children who witnessed domestic violence. The three areas were attitudes/responses to anger (the degree that violence was perceived as an appropriate solution to conflict), safety skills (the level of awareness children had of how to keep themselves safe during episodes of domestic violence), and responsibility for violence (the degree that children felt blame for the domestic violence they witnessed). The second study focused on children from one of four communities (London, Chatham, Cambridge and Woodstock) who were involved in a group counseling program. They were of lower-income, somewhat transitory families (approximately 8 family moves and 4 school changes during the child's lifetime), and parents had been separated for an average of 12 months prior to the counseling. The groups were divided into age clusters of 7-10 years and 11-13 years, and the workshop format was divided into 10 topics: labeling feelings, dealing with anger, safety skills, social support, social competence and self-concept, responsibility for parents, responsibility for violence, understanding family violence, and issues related to separation and divorce. The Child Witness to Violence Interview, the Parent Perception Inventory (Hazzard, Christensen, & Margolin, 1983), and the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenback & Edelbrock, 1983) were used. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION: The initial study revealed that children exposed to violence were more likely to condone violence as a means of resolving conflict (p AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS: Measurable improvements in child adjustment, it was argued, may require longitudinal studies, and more controlled evaluations are needed to assess the most and least effective interventions for children of battered women. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado) KW - Countries Other Than USA KW - Canada KW - Domestic Violence Effects KW - Witnessing Violence Effects KW - Witnessing Spouse Abuse KW - Child Witness KW - Domestic Violence Intervention KW - Spouse Abuse Intervention KW - Intervention Program KW - Program Effectiveness KW - Program Evaluation KW - Spouse Abuse Effects KW - Interparental Violence KW - Children of Battered Women KW - Partner Violence KW - Violence Against Women

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