Citation

Martinez-Torteya C, Anne Bogat G, von Eye A, Levendosky AA. Child Dev. 2009; 80(2): 562-577.

Affiliation

Clinical Psychology, Michigan State University, Psychology Building, East Lansing, MI, USA. marti933@msu.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01279.x

PMID

19467011

Abstract

Individual and family characteristics that predict resilience among children exposed to domestic violence (DV) were examined. Mother-child dyads (n = 190) were assessed when the children were 2, 3, and 4 years of age. DV-exposed children were 3.7 times more likely than nonexposed children to develop internalizing or externalizing problems. However, 54% of DV-exposed children maintained positive adaptation and were characterized by easy temperament (odds ratio [OR] = .39, d = .52) and nondepressed mothers (OR = 1.14, d = .07), as compared to their nonresilient counterparts. Chronic DV was associated with maternal depression, difficult child temperament, and internalizing or externalizing symptoms. Results underscore heterogeneous outcomes among DV-exposed children and the influence of individual and family characteristics on children's adaptation.

Language: en