Children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) experience a range of developmental consequences including psychological, behavioral, social and academic difficulties. Children in the Child Welfare System (CWS) are exposed to IPV at substantially higher rates than the general population, and are therefore at higher risk of experiencing these negative consequences. However, despite the fact that research on the effects of IPV exposure has become increasingly sophisticated over the past 20 years, to date little is known about the effects of IPV exposure on children in the CWS independent of the effects of child abuse and/or neglect. This dissertation extends existing literature by examining the long-term effect of IPV exposure on trauma, depression and academic achievement utilizing a nationally representative sample of school-aged children in the CWS who remain in their parents’ custody. Secondary data analysis was conducted using the second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW-II), a nationally representative, longitudinal survey of children referred to Child Protective Services (CPS) for alleged child abuse and/or neglect. Results from multilevel models found that IPV frequency and severity were significantly related to children’s trauma and depression over time, with severe IPV exposure, but not minor IPV exposure, predicting greater trauma and depression symptoms. Multivariate regression revealed that child race/ethnicity did not moderate the relationship between IPV exposure and trauma, although differential predictors of trauma by child race/ethnicity emerged. Specifically, caregiver depression was related to heightened trauma symptoms for white children in the CWS exposed to IPV but not African American and Hispanic children in the CWS, while household poverty and neighborhood quality predicted greater trauma among Hispanic and African American children in the CWS exposed to IPV but not white children. Structural equation modeling (SEM) found that the direct path of exposure to severe IPV at Wave 1 (baseline; mean age = 12 years) to reading scores at Wave 3 (3 years later; mean age = 15 years) was significant after controlling for child abuse and/or neglect and demographic covariates. Greater frequency of exposure to severe IPV was related to poorer reading scores over time. This relationship was mediated by depression, such that greater frequency of exposure to severe IPV at Wave 1 predicted more depression symptoms at Wave 2 and more depression symptoms at Wave 2 predicted poorer reading scores at Wave 3. However, the direct path of severe IPV exposure at Wave 1 to math scores at Wave 3 was not significant. Similarly, exposure to minor IPV at Wave 1 was not related to reading and math scores at Wave 3.Results from this dissertation suggest that CWS caseworkers should screen for the presence of IPV in the home. Screenings must assess the frequency and severity of the IPV exposure among children investigated for abuse/neglect and should be conducted on an ongoing basis at regular contact points. Interventions for children exposed to IPV in the CWS should be targeted toward decreasing psychological effects, including depression and trauma, to foster healthy development and enhance educational outcomes.
Read
