Effects of Intimate Partner Violence and Maternal Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms on Children's Emotional and Behavioral Functioning

Abstract

Abstract Research has documented the detrimental effects of intimate partner violence (IPV) on children's emotional and behavioral functioning. This study examines the hypothesis that a child's response to witnessing IPV is most influenced by the mother's psychological health. We examined the relationships among IPV (as witnessed by children), mother's posttraumatic stress symptomatology (PTSS), and children's emotional and behavioral problems. Analyses revealed that mothers' PTSS, and not amount of violence witnessed, predicted children's emotion dysregulation.