Assessing resilience in preschool children exposed to intimate partner violence.
This study examined why some preschool-age children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) showed deleterious outcomes and others appeared more resilient. Resilience, conceptualized as strengths in emotion regulation and prosocial skills, was evaluated using the Social Competence Scale developed by the Conduct Problem Prevention Research Group. The sample consisted of 56 mothers and their 4- to 6-year-old children exposed to IPV within the past 2 years. After controlling for relevant demographic factors, hierarchical regression analyses indicated that better parenting performance, fewer maternal mental health problems, and less severe violence exposure predicted better emotion regulation and prosocial skill scores, which in turn were negatively correlated with maladaptive child behaviors. These findings can be used to inform and enhance clinical services for children exposed to IPV.
Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1043, USA. howellkh@umich.edu
Kathryn H
KH
Howell
Sandra A
SA
Graham-Bermann
Ewa
E
Czyz
Michelle
M
Lilly
D000328:Adult; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D002667:Child Reactive Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012649:Self Concept; D012951:Socialization; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology*