Factors Related to Reading Performance in Children Exposed to Domestic Violence

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine factors associated with reading performance in children exposed to domestic violence. Twenty children ages 6 to 9 who had been exposed to domestic violence were tested on reading and prereading skills using the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised and the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing. Results indicated that psychological aggression of the mother toward her partner and externalizing behavior problems were strongly negatively correlated with reading scores. The number of months at the current residence in the past year was positively correlated with reading performance. Physical assault by the partner toward the mother was not significantly correlated with reading skills. Higher incidence of risk factors was significantly associated with risk for reading disabilities.

Keywords:

• reading disabilities
• domestic violence
• children
• phonological awareness
• behavior problems

Acknowledgment

This report is based on a doctoral dissertation completed at the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University at Bloomington. Versions of this paper were presented at the International Family Violence and Child Victimization Research Conference (July 2006) and the Annual Cognitive Neuroscience Society Meeting (May 2007). This project was supported by a summer fellowship from the Indiana University Cognitive Science Program and by a doctoral research grant from the Indiana University Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences. Special thanks to the children, mothers, and staff at the Lafayette Women's Shelter, the Julian Center, Prevail, Crisis Connection, Turning Point, and Middle Way House for their participation and cooperation in this investigation.