Citation

Jouriles EN, Rancher C, Vu NL, McDonald R. J. Interpers. Violence 2017; ePub(ePub): 886260517710487.

Affiliation

Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0886260517710487

PMID

29294773

Abstract

This study examined whether police involvement in intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with children's anxiety symptoms and threat appraisals. Participants were 117 mothers and their children (7-10 years) recruited from domestic violence shelters and followed for 6 months. Mothers reported on IPV and police involvement in the past 6 months; children reported their own anxiety symptoms and threat appraisals. Police involvement in IPV incidents at Time 1 was positively related to children's anxiety symptoms at both the Time 1 and Time 2 assessments, even after controlling for the severity of the IPV. Police involvement was not associated with children's threat appraisals. Police involvement in IPV may inadvertently contribute to an increase in children's anxiety symptoms. Efforts to mitigate adverse outcomes should be investigated.

Language: en

Keywords

children’s anxiety; intimate partner violence; police