Examining the Relationship Between Witnessing Intimate Partner Violence and Victimization Among Children in Saudi Arabia

Majid A. Al‐Eissa · Hassan Nazmus Saleheen · Maha A. Almuneef

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Intimate Partner and Family Violence Child Abuse and Trauma Elder Abuse and Neglect

Abstract

Childhood exposure to violence can lead to physical, mental, and emotional harm, whether a child is a direct victim or a witness to violent events. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between witnessing intimate partner violence (IPV) and victimization among children. A cross-sectional, national study was conducted in secondary high schools in the five main provinces of Saudi Arabia (SA) using International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) ISPCAN Child Abuse and Neglect Screening Tool–Child: Home version. Boys and girls, public and private schools were selected to participate. Students ( N = 16,939) aged 15 to 18 years completed the survey instrument which included demographics, different types of abuse (physical, psychological, and sexual), neglect, and witnessing IPV. Mean age of the participants was 16.8 ± 0.9 years, and 51% were boys. Eighty-one percent lived with both parents, 6% with single parent, and 2% with step-parent. Fifty-two percent of the participants witnessed IPV. Those who witnessed IPV were more likely to be abused compared with those who did not ( p < .01). Among those who witnessed physical IPV, girls had a significantly greater likelihood of experiencing psychological abuse (odds ratio [OR] = 3.7, confidence interval [CI] = [1.9, 6.8]), physical abuse (OR = 1.3, CI = [1.0, 1.6]), and neglect (OR = 1.6, CI = [1.4, 1.9]) but less likelihood of experiencing sexual abuse (OR = 0.6, CI = [0.5, 0.7]) than boys. Among those who witnessed psychological IPV, girls had a significantly greater likelihood of experiencing neglect (OR = 1.3, CI = [1.2, 1.5]) but less likelihood of experiencing sexual abuse (OR = 0.5, CI = [0.5, 0.6]) than boys. Boys who witnessed physical IPV and psychological IPV had a significantly greater likelihood of experiencing sexual abuse compared with girls. Witnessing IPV increases the chances of child and adolescent victimization. Multidisciplinary approaches involving social workers, law enforcement personnel, and domestic violence and child protection workers could effectively respond to this problem.

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References

2003Child witnesses to domestic violence: A meta-analytic review.2003The Effects of Children's Exposure to Domestic Violence: A Meta-Analysis and Critique 1998The co-occurrence of spouse and physical child abuse: A review and appraisal.1987Do abused children become abusive parents?1999The Overlap Between Child Maltreatment and Woman Battering 2008American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 1994No safe haven: Male violence against women at home, at work, and in the community.2010The overlap of witnessing partner violence with child maltreatment and other victimizations in a nationally representative survey of youth

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2022The Lancet Psychiatry Commission on intimate partner violence and mental health: advancing mental health services, research, and policy

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