Does Witnessing Intimate Partner Violence Contribute to Toddlers' Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors?

Abstract

This research examines the relationship between witnessing of intimate partner violence (IPV) and externalizing and internalizing behaviors using birth to age 3 data from a longitudinal study (N = 187). We hypothesized that for infants and toddlers, direct witnessing of IPV, compared to living in a household where IPV occurred, would be more disruptive of behavior because it affects the child's emotional security within the family. Findings supported our hypothesis. Children who witnessed IPV displayed more externalizing behaviors at ages 2 and 3 as compared to children who did not witness IPV or whose mothers were not victims. Findings highlight the importance of assessing whether infants and toddlers witness IPV, as this has implications for infant behavior as well as maternal parenting.

Acknowledgments

This study was supported, in part, by grants from the National Institute of Justice (#8-7958-MI-IJ) and Centers for Disease Control (R49/CCR518519-03-1).

Notes

¹We use the term “witnessed IPV” to refer to children whose mothers reported that they saw or heard IPV in the home and “non-witnessed IPV” to refer to children whose mothers were victims of IPV, but who reported that their children did not see or hear the violence. The term “exposed” is a superordinate term to include children who both witnessed or were exposed to non-witnessed IPV. The term “not exposed” to IPV is reserved for those children whose mothers did not experience IPV.

Note: *Odds ratios for these cells should be interpreted with caution due to use of delta.

Notes: *observed frequency, **expected frequency, ***Bonferroni-adjusted alpha = .0020833.