Associations between young children’s exposure to household violence and behavioural problems: Evidence from a rural Kenyan sample

ABSTRACT

Little is known about how young children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) experience violence in their homes, and how different types of household violence may affect child development. This study reports on levels of exposure to household violence and associations with child behavioural outcomes in preschool-aged children in western Kenya. A sample of 465 caregivers, whose children (n = 497) attended early learning centres supported by an international NGO, were enrolled in the study. Caregivers reported on exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV), household discipline practices, attitudes about gender roles, and child behavioural outcomes. Multivariable analysis showed significant predictive effects of IPV (regression coefficient = 1.35, SE = 0.54, p = 0.01) and harsh psychological child discipline (regression coefficient = 0.74, SE = 0.22, p = 0.001), but not physical discipline (regression coefficient = 0.42, SE = 0.24, p = 0.08), on worse child behavioural problems. These findings indicate that child exposure to violence in different forms is highly prevalent, and associated with poorer outcomes in young children. Community-based programmes focused on parenting and early child development are well-positioned to address household violence in LMIC settings, but must be supported to provide a broader understanding of violence and its immediate and long-term consequences.

KEYWORDS:

• Household violence
• child discipline
• psychological discipline
• child behavioural outcomes
• early child development

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of the dedicated data collection and research teams based in Kisumu, Homa Bay, and Bondo, Kenya.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Christina A. Laurenzi http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9648-4473

Sarah Skeen http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7464-2861

Phillip Sundin http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2610-4644

Xanthe Hunt http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7531-6665

Robert E. Weiss http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3648-8522

Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6395-5187

Mark Tomlinson http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5846-3444

Notes

1 We use household violence to refer to any physical or psychological violence occurring in the home, between other household members or experienced directly.

2 We use the term caregivers to denote other family members who may be primary guardians.

3 In our study, pre-school aged children are children under 6.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation under grant SU632015; the Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment (CHIPTS) NIMH grant P30MH058107; and the UCLA Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) grant 5P30AI028697, Core H.