Community-based intervention for children exposed to intimate partner violence: an efficacy trial.
A community-based intervention program was tested with 181 children ages 6-12 and their mothers exposed to intimate partner violence during the past year. A sequential assignment procedure allocated participants to 3 conditions: child-only intervention, child-plus-mother intervention (CM), and a wait-list comparison. A 2-level hierarchical linear model consisting of repeated observations within individuals and individuals assigned to conditions was used to evaluate the effects of time from baseline to postintervention comparing the 3 conditions and from postintervention to 8-month follow-up for both intervention conditions. Outcomes were individual children's externalizing and internalizing behavior problems and attitudes about violence. Of the 3 conditions, CM children showed the greatest improvement over time in externalizing problems and attitudes about violence. There were 79% fewer children with clinical range externalizing scores and 77% fewer children with clinical range internalizing scores from baseline to follow-up for CM children.
Graham-Bermann
Sandra A
SA
Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. sandragb@umich.edu
Lynch
Shannon
S
Banyard
Victoria
V
DeVoe
Ellen R
ER
Halabu
Hilda
H
D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000379:methods*; D012747:Sexual Partners; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome