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Young Children's Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence: Towards a Developmental Risk and Resilience Framework for Research and Intervention

NCJ Number
218672
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: April 2007 Pages: 151-163
Author(s)
Abigail H. Gewirtz; Jeffrey L. Edleson
Date Published
April 2007
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This paper employed a developmental risk and resilience framework in order to examine the impact on young children of exposure to intimate partner violence, particularly those in poverty.
Abstract
Early support and intervention efforts provide important avenues through which young children exposed to intimate partner violence may be able to access the services needed to promote healthy development and minimize risks to which they are exposed. In order to support children exposed to domestic violence, programs must be developed aimed at young children. These programs vary: some provide emotional support to children and mothers aimed at addressing intimate partner violence issues, while others offer interventions to enhance development. Programs should aim to support secure attachments between young children and their nonabusive mothers and must focus on enhancing safety and stability for children and their parents. Research on risk, resilience, and protective factors can offer a framework for answering questions about the potential negative effects of intimate partner violence on child functioning and how children might be protected from them. This paper reviews the major developmental tasks of early childhood and draws on existing literature on the effects of exposure to intimate partner violence on young children’s development. This brings together two separate literatures that have largely developed in isolation. The paper employs the integrative framework of a developmental risk and resilience perspective to weave these literatures together and suggest where additional research is needed. References

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