Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Assessing Children’s Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence

  • Published:
Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Child exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) is widely acknowledged as a threat to the psycho-social and academic well-being of children. Unfortunately, as reflected in the literature, the specific link between such exposure and childhood outcomes is ambiguous. Based on a review of the literature, this article suggests that this state of affairs is due, in part, to the manner with which exposure to IPV is operationally defined. After reviewing the dominant strategies for operationally defining exposure to IPV and the problems associated with those strategies, this article reports original data contrasting three measures derived from maternal reports, three measures derived from child reports, and the limited concordance among those different indices of exposure to IPV. The implications of these findings for research on child outcomes and the clinical assessment of children who might have been exposed to IPV are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Achenbach, T. M. (1991). Child behavior checklist. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Department of Psychology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Achenbach, T. M., McConaughy, S. H., & Howell, C. T. (1987). Child/adolescent behavioral and emotional problems: Implications of cross-informant correlations for situational specificity. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 213–232.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ackerman, B. P., Brown, E. D., D’Eramo, K. S., & Izard, C. (2002). Maternal relationship instability and the school behavior of children from disadvantaged families. Developmental Psychology, 38, 694–704.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ackerman, B. P., Kogos, J., Youngstrom, E., Schoff, K., & Izard, C. (1999). Family instability and the problem behaviors of children from economically disadvantaged families. Developmental Psychology, 35, 258–268.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bank, L., Mustoe, J., Johnson-Shelton, D., Ford, D., Smith, E., Prescott, A., & Burraston, B. (2000, November). The OSLC computer-assisted child interview for children aged 4–9. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the association for the advancement of behavior therapy, New Orleans, LA.

  • Berliner, L., Hyman, I., Thomas, A., & Fitgerald, M. (2003). Children’s memory for trauma and positive experiences. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 16, 229–236.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bradley, R. H., Whiteside, L., Mundfrom, D. J., Casey, P. H., Kelleher, K. J., & Pope, S. K. (1994). Early indications of resilience and their relation to experiences in the home environments of low birthweight, premature children living in poverty. Child Development, 65, 346–360.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brainerd, C. J., & Reyna, V. F. (2002). Recollection rejection: How children edit their false memories. Developmental Psychology, 38, 156–172.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cabrera, H. J., Tamis-LeMonda, C. S., Bradley, R. H., Hofferth, S., & Lamb, M. E. (2000). Fatherhood in the twenty-first century. Child Development, 71, 127–136.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, B. E. (1984). Children’s observations of interparental violence. In A. R. Roberts (Ed.), Battered women and their families (pp. 147–167). New York, NY: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ceballo, R., & McLoyd, V. C. (2002). Social support and parenting in poor, dangerous neighborhoods. Child Development, 73, 1310–1321.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ceci, S. J., & Bruck, M. (1993). Suggestibility of the child witness: A historical review and synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 113, 403–439.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ceci, S. J., & Huffman, M. C. (1997). How suggestible are preschool children? Cognitive and social factors. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 948–958.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chambers, C. T., & Johnston, C. (2002). Developmental differences in children’s use of rating scales. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 27, 27–36.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cicchetti, D., & Rogosch, F. A. (1996). Equifinality and multifinality in developmental psychopathology. Development and Psychopathology, 8, 597–600.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cicchetti, D., & Rogosch, F. A. (2002). A developmental psychopathology perspective on adolescence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 6–20.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coulton, C. J., Korbin, J. E., & Su, M. (1999). Neighborhoods and child maltreatment: A multi-level study. Child Abuse and Neglect, 23, 1019–1040.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crooks, C. V., Scott, K. L., Francis, K. J., Kelly, T., & Reid, M. (2006). Eliciting change in maltreating fathers: Goals, processes, and desired outcomes. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 13, 71–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, P. T., Harold, G. T., Goeke-Morey, M. C., & Cummings, E. M. (2002). Child emotional security and interparental conflict. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 67, 3 Serial No. 270.

  • Davies, P. T., & Windle, M. (2001). Interparental discord and adolescent adjustment trajectories: The potentiating and protective role of intrapersonal attributes. Child Development, 72, 1163–1178.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De Los Reyes, A., & Kazdin, A. E. (2004). Measuring informant discrepancies in clinical child research. Psychological Bulletin, 16(3), 330–334.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Los Reyes, A., & Kazdin, A. E. (2005). Informant discrepancies in the assessment of childhood psychopathology: A critical review, theoretical framework, and recommendations for further study. Psychological Bulletin, 131, 483–509.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Duncan, G. J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2000). Family poverty, welfare reform, and child development. Child Development, 71, 188–196.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Edelbrock, C., Costello, A. J., Dulcan, M. K., Conover, N. C., & Kala, R. (1986). Parent–child agreement on child psychiatric symptoms assessed via structured interview. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 27, 181–190.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Elliot, D. S., Huizinga, D., & Morse, B. J. (1986). Self-reported violent offending: A descriptive analysis of juvenile violent offenders and their offending careers. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 4, 472–514.

    Google Scholar 

  • El-Sheikh, M., & Harger, J. (2001). Appraisals of marital conflict and children’s adjustment, health, and physiological reactivity. Developmental Psychology, 37, 875–885.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ewart, C. K., & Suchday, S. (2002). Discovering how urban poverty and violence affect health: Development and validation of a neighborhood stress index. Health Psychology, 21, 254–262.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Faller, K. C. (2003). Research and practice in child interviewing: Implications for children exposed to domestic violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18, 377–389.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feld, S. L., & Straus, M. A. (1990). Escalation and desistance from wife assault in marriage. In M. A. Straus & R. J. Gelles (Eds.), Physical violence in American families: Risk factors and adaptation to violence in 8, 145 families (pp. 489–505). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flango, C. R. (1988). State courts’ jurisdiction and terminology for child abuse and neglect cases. Williamsburg, VA: National Center for State Courts.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaylord, N. K., Kitzmann, K. M., & Coleman, J. K. (2003). Parents’ and children’s perceptions of parental behavior: Associations with children’s psychosocial adjustment in the classroom. Parenting: Science and Practice, 3, 23–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geddie, L. F., Beer, J., Bartosik, S., & Wuensch, K. L. (2001). The relationship between interview characteristics and accuracy of recall in young children: Do individual differences matter? Child Maltreatment, 6, 59–68.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gottman, J. M., & Katz, L. F. (1989). The effects of marital discord on young children’s peer interaction and health. Developmental Psychology, 25, 373–381.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant, K. E., Compas, B. E., Stuhlmacher, A. E. T., McMahon, S. D., & Halpert, J. A. (2003). Stressors and child and adolescent psychopathology: Moving from markers to mechanisms of risk. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 447–466.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greenwald, R. L., Bank, L., Reid, J. B., & Knutson, J. F. (1997). A discipline-mediated model of excessively punitive parenting. Aggressive Behavior, 23, 259–280.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grych, J. H., & Fincham, F. D. (1990). Marital conflict and children’s adjustment: A cognitive-contextual framework. Psychological Bulletin, 108, 267–290.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grych, J. H., Fincham, F. D., Jouriles, E. N., & McDonald, R. (2000). Interparental conflict and child adjustment: Testing the mediational role of appraisals in the cognitive-contextual framework. Child Development, 71, 1648–1661.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guterman, N. B., & Lee, Y. (2005). The role of fathers in risk for physical child abuse and neglect: Possible pathways and unanswered questions. Child Maltreatment, 10(2), 136–149.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haskett, M. E., Marziano, B., & Dover, E. R. (1996). Absence of males in maltreatment research: A survey of recent literature. Child Abuse and Neglect, 20, 1175–1182.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Henning, K., Leitenberg, H., Coffey, P., Bennett, T., & Jankowski, M. K. (1997). Long-term psychological adjustment to witnessing physical conflict during childhood. Child Abuse and Neglect, 21, 501–515.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Holden, G. W., Geffner, R., & Jouriles, E. N. (Eds.). (1998). Children exposed to marital violence: Theory, research, and applied issues. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holliday, R. E. (2003). Reducing misinformation effects in children with cognitive interviews: Dissociating recollection and familiarity. Child Development, 74, 728–751.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jencks, C., & Mayer, S. (1990). The social consequences of growing up in a poor neighborhood. In L. E. Lynn Jr. & G. H. McGeary (Eds.), Inner-city poverty in the United States (pp. 111–186). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M. P., & Ferraro, K. J. (2000). Research on domestic violence in the 1990s: Making distinctions. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 948–963.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, D. J., Shaffer, A., Forehand, R., Brody, G., & Armistead, L. P. (2003). Coparent conflict in single mother-headed African American families: Do parenting skills serve as a mediator or moderator of child psychosocial adjustment. Behavior Therapy, 34, 259–272.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jouriles, E. N., McDonald, R., Norwood, W. D., Ware, H. S., Spiller, L. C., & Swank, P. R. (1998). Knives, guns, and interparent violence: Relations with child behavior problems. Journal of Family Psychology, 12, 178–194.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jouriles, E. N., McDonald, R., Spiller, L., Norwood, W. D., Swank, P. R., Stephens, N., et al. (2001a). Reducing conduct problems among children of battered women. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69, 774–785.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jouriles, E. N., Norwood, W. D., McDonald, R., & Peters, B. (2001b). Intimate partner violence and child adjustment. In J. Grych & F. Fincham (Eds.), Child Development and interparental conflict (pp. 315–336). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, J. E., Hetherington, E. M., & Reiss, D. (1999). Associations among family relationships, antisocial peers, and adolescents’ externalizing behaviors: Gender and family type differences. Child Development, 70, 1209–1230.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kitzmann, K. M. (2000). Effects of marital conflict on subsequent triadic family interactions and parenting. Developmental Psychology, 36, 3–13.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kitzmann, K. M., Gaylord, N. K., Holt, A. R., & Kenny, E. D. (2003). Child witnesses to intimate partner violence: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71, 339–352.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Klebanov, P. K., Brooks-Gunn, J., McCarton, C., & McCormick, M. C. (1998). The contribution of neighborhood and family income to developmental test scores over the first three years of life. Child Development, 69, 1420–1436.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Knutson, J. F., & Bower, M. E. (1994). Physically abusive parenting as an escalated aggressive response. In M. Potegal & J. F. Knutson (Eds.), The escalation of aggression in dyads and groups: Biological and social processes (pp. 195–225). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knutson, J. F., DeGarmo, D., Koeppl, G., & Reid, J. B. (2005). Care neglect, supervisory neglect and harsh parenting in the development of children’s aggression: A replication and extension. Child Maltreatment, 10, 92–107.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Knutson, J. F., DeGarmo, D. S., & Reid, J. B. (2004). Social disadvantage and neglectful parenting as precursors to the development of antisocial and aggressive child behavior: Testing a theoretical model. Aggressive Behavior, 30, 187–205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knutson, J. F., Fordyce, D. J., & Anderson, D. J. (1980). Escalation of irritable aggression: Control by consequences and antecedents. Aggressive Behavior, 6, 347–359.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knutson, J. F., & Schartz, H. A. (1997). Physical abuse and neglect of children. In T. A. Widiger, A. J. Frances, H. A. Pincus, R. Ross, M. B. First, & W. Davis (Eds.), DSM-IV sourcebook (Vol. 3, pp. 713–804). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knutson, J. F., & Viken, R. J. (1984). Animal analogues of human aggression: Studies of social experience and escalation. In D. C. Blanchard, K. J. Flannelly, & R. J. Blanchard (Eds.), Biological perspectives on aggression. (pp. 75–94). New York: Alan R. Liss, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohen, D. E., Brooks-Gunn, J., Leventhal, T., & Hertzman, C. (2002). Neighborhood income and physical and social disorder in Canada: Associations with young children’s competencies. Child Development, 73, 1844–1860.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kolko, D. J., Kazdin, A. E., & Day, B. T. (1996). Children’s perspectives in the assessment of family violence: Psychometric characteristics and comparisons to parent report. Child Maltreatment, 1, 156–167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lamb, M. E., Sternberg, K. J., Orbach, Y., Epslin, P. W., Steward, H., & Mitchell, S. (2003). Age differences in young children’s responses to open-ended invitations in the course of forensic interviews. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71, 926–934.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lamb, M. E., Sternberg, K. J., Orbach, Y., Heshkowitz, I., & Esplin, P. W. (1999). Forensic interviews of children. In A. Memon & R. Bull (Eds.), The psychology of interviewing: A handbook (pp. 253–277). New York, NY: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langer, A., Lawrence, E., & Barry, R. A. (2008). Using a vulnerability-stress-adaptation framework to predict physical aggression trajectories in newlywed marriage. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 76, 756–768.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, E., & Bradbury, T. N. (2001). Physical aggression as a predictor of marital dysfunction: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Family Psychology, 15, 135–154.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, E., & Bradbury, T. N. (2007). Trajectories of change in physical aggression and marital satisfaction. Journal of Family Psychology, 21, 236–247.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, E., Peek-Asa, C., Langer, A., Brock, R., Yoon, J., Georgia, E., & Siebrecht, J. (2008). Reliability and validity of the Context of Intimate Partner Violence Interview across four samples. Unpublished manuscript.

  • Leonard, K. E., & Roberts, L. J. (1998). Marital aggression, quality, and stability in the first year of marriage: Findings form the Buffalo Newlywed Study. In T. N. Bradbury (Ed.), The developmental course of marital dysfunction (pp. 44–73). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis-O’Connor, A., Sharps, P. W., Humphreys, J., Gary, F. A., & Campbell, J. (2006). Children exposed to intimate partner violence. In M. M. Feerick & G. B. Silverman (Eds.), Children exposed to violence. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Linver, M. R., Brooks-Gunn, J., & Kohen, D. E. (2002). Family processes as pathways from income to young children’s development. Developmental Psychology, 38, 719–734.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Locke, L. M., & Prinz, R. J. (2003). Measurement of parental discipline and nurturance. Clinical Psychology Review, 22, 895–929.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marche, T. A., & Howe, M. L. (1995). Preschoolers report misinformation despite accurate memory. Developmental Psychology, 31, 554–567.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maughan, A., & Cicchetti, D. (2002). Impact of child maltreatment and interadult violence on children’s emotion regulation abilities and socioemotional adjustment. Child Development, 73, 1525–1542.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • National Academy of Science. (1993). Understanding child abuse and neglect. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Leary, K. D. (1988). Physical aggression between spouses. In V. B. Van Hasselt, R. L. Morrison, A. S. Bellack, & M. Hersen (Eds.), Handbook of family violence (pp. 31–56). New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Leary, K. D., Barling, J., Arias, I., Rosenbaum, A., Malone, J., & Tyree, A. (1989). Prevalence and stability of physical aggression between spouses: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 263–268.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’Leary, K. D., Malone, J. E., & Tyree, A. (1994). Physical aggression in early marriage: Prerelationship and relationship effects. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 594–602.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Offord, D. R., Boyle, M. H., Racine, Y., Szatmari, P., Fleming, J. E., Sanford, M., et al. (1996). Integrating assessment data from multiple informants. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35, 1078–1085.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Orbach, Y., Lamb, M. E., Sternberg, K. J., Williams, J. M. G., & Dawud-Noursi, S. (2001). The effect of being a victim or witness of family violence on the retrieval of autobiographical memories. Child Abuse and Neglect, 25, 1427–1437.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pan, H. S., Neidig, P. H., & O’Leary, K. D. (1994). Predicting mild and severe husband-to-wife physical aggression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 975–981.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Papp, L. M., Cummings, E. M., & Goeke-Morey, M. C. (2002). Marital conflicts in the home when children are present versus absent. Developmental Psychology, 38, 774–783.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, G. R. (1982). Coercive family process. Eugene, OR: Castalia, Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, G. R., & Reid, J. B. (1970). Reciprocity and coercion: Two facets of social systems. In C. Neuringer & J. L. Michael (Eds.), Behavior modification in clinical psychology (pp. 133–177). New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C. (1999). Children’s memory for medical emergencies: 2 years later. Developmental Psychology, 35, 1493–1506.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C., & Rideout, R. (1998). Memory for medical emergencies experienced by 1- and 2- year-olds. Developmental Psychology, 34, 1059–1072.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Phares, V., Compas, B. E., & Howell, D. C. (1989). Perspectives on child behavior problems: Comparisons of children’s self-reports with parent and teacher reports. Psychological Assessment, 1, 68–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phares, V., Fields, S., Kamboukos, D., & Lopez, E. (2005, October). Still looking for Pappa. American Psychologist, 73 5–736.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pipe, M.-E., Gee, S., Wilson, J. C., & Egerton, J. M. (1999). Children’s recall 1 or 2 years after an event. Developmental Psychology, 35, 781–789.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Poole, D. A., & Lamb, M. E. (1998). Investigative interviewing of children. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quas, J. A., Malloy, L. C., Melinder, A., Goodman, G. S., D’Mello, M., & Schaaf, J. (2007). Developmental differences in the effects of repeated interviews and interviewer bias on young children’s event memory & false reports. Developmental Psychology, 43, 823–837.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Quigley, B. M., & Leonard, K. E. (1996). Desistance of husband aggression in the early years of marriage. Violence and Victims, 11, 355–370.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Renk, K. (2005). Cross informant ratings of the behavior of children and adolescents: The “Gold Standard”. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 14, 457–468.

    Google Scholar 

  • Renk, K., & Phares, V. (2004). Cross-informant ratings of social competence in children and adolescents. Clinical Psychology Review, 24, 239–254.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roscoe, B., & Benaske, N. (1985). Courtship violence experienced by abused wives: Similarities in patterns of abuse. Family Relations, 34, 419–424.

    Google Scholar 

  • Runyan, D. K., & English, D. J. (2006). Measuring child abuse and neglect using child protective services records. In M. Feerick, J. F. Knutson, P. Trickett, & S. Flanzer (Eds.), Child abuse and neglect: Definitions, classifications, & a framework for research (pp. 255–292). Baltimore, MD: Brooks Publishing Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz-Kenney, B. M., & Goodman, G. S. (1999). Children’s memory of a naturalistic event following misinformation. Applied Developmental Science, 3, 34–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwarz, J. Barton-Henry, M. & Pruzinsky, T. (1985). Assessing child-rearing behaviors: A comparison of ratings made by mother, father, child and sibling on the CRPBI. Child Development, 56(2), 462–479.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Selner-O’Hagan, M. B., Kindlon, D. J., Buka, S. L., Raudenbush, S. W., & Earls, F. J. (1998). Assessing exposure to violence in urban youth. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 39, 215–224.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sessa, F. M., Avenevoli, S., Steinberg, L., & Morris, A. (2001). Correspondence among informants on parenting: Preschool children, mothers and observers. Journal of Family Psychology, 15, 53–68.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Silvern, L., Karyl, J., Waelde, L., Hodges, W. F., Starek, J., Heidt, E., & Min, K. (1995). Retrospective reports of parental partner abuse: Relationships to depression, trauma symptoms and self-esteem among college students. Journal of Family Violence, 10, 177–202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spaccarelli, S., Sandler, I. N., & Roosa, M. (1994). History of spouse violence against mother: Correlated risks and unique effects in child mental health. Journal of Family Violence, 9, 79–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spanier, G. B. (1976). Measuring dyadic adjustment: New scales for assessing the quality of marriage and dyads. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 38, 15–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steinberg, L., & Avenevoli, S. (2000). The role of context in the development of psychopathology: A conceptual framework and some speculative proposals. Child Development, 71, 66–74.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg, K. J., Knutson, J. F., Lamb, M. E., Bradaran, L. P., Nolan, C., & Flanzer, S. (2004). The Child Maltreatment Log: A PC-based program for describing research samples. Child Maltreatment, 9, 30–48.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg, K. J., Lamb, M. E., & Dawud-Noursi, S. (1997). Using multiple informants and cross-cultural research to study the effects of IPV on developmental psychopathology: Illustrations from research in Israel. In S. S. Luthar, J. A. Burack, D. Cicchetti, & J. Weisz (Eds.), Developmental psychopathology:Perspectives on risk and disorder (pp. 121–156). New York and Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stith, S. M., Rosen, K. H., Middleton, K. A., Busch, A. L., Lundeberg, K., & Carlton, R. P. (2000). The intergenerational transmission of spouse abuse: A meta-analysis. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 640–654.

    Google Scholar 

  • Straus, M. A. (1979). Measuring intrafamily conflict and violence: The Conflict Tactics (CT) Scales. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 41, 75–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Straus, M. A., & Gelles, R. J. (1986). Societal change and change in family violence from 1975 to 1985 as revealed by two national surveys. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 48, 465–479.

    Google Scholar 

  • Straus, M. A., & Gelles, R. J. (Eds.). (1990). Physical violence in American families: Risk factors and adaptatiosn to violence in 8, 145 families. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Straus, M. A., Gelles, R. J., & Steinmetz, S. K. (1980). Behind closed doors: Violence in the American family. Garden City, NY: Doubleday/Anchor.

    Google Scholar 

  • Straus, M. A., Hamby, S. L., Boney-McCoy, S., & Sugarman, D. B. (1996). The revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2): Development and preliminary psychometric data. Journal of Family Issues, 17, 283–316.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, P. M., & Knutson, J. F. (1998). The association between child maltreatment and disabilities in a hospital-based pediatric sample. Child Abuse and Neglect, 22, 271–288.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, P. M., & Knutson, J. F. (2000a). The prevalence of disabilities and maltreatment among runaway youth. Child Abuse and Neglect, 24, 1275–1288.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, P. M., & Knutson, J. F. (2000b). Maltreatment and disabilities: A population-based epidemiological study. Child Abuse and Neglect, 24, 1257–1274.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tein, J., Roosa, M. W., & Michaels, M. (1994). Agreement between parent and child reports on parental behaviors. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 56(2), 341–355.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tienda, M. (1991). Poor people, poor places: Deciphering neighborhood effects on poverty outcomes. In J. Humber (Ed.), Macro-micro linkages in sociology (pp. 244–262). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Department of Health, Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth, Families. (2006). Child Maltreatment 2004. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weissman, M., Orvaschel, H., & Padian, N. (1980). Children’s symptom and social functioning self-report scales: Comparison of mothers’ and children’s reports. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 168, 736–740.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Widom, C. S. (1988). Sampling biases and implications for child abuse research. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 58, 260–270.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Woffordt, S., Mihalic, D. E., & Menard, S. (1994). Continuities in Marital Violence. Journal of Family Violence, 9, 195–225.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part, by Grant RO1 MH 61731 funded by NIMH and ACYF (John F. Knutson, PI), and, in part, by Grant R01 HD-46789 funded by NICHD (John F. Knutson, PI), in part, by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Grants R49 CCR721682 and R49 CE721682 and, in part, by Grant P30 DA 023920, Division of Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Branch, NIDA. The facilitation of the research accomplished by Barry Bennett, Cheryl Whitney, Marc Baty, Mark Schmidt, Trisha Barto, Mindy Norwood, and Wayne McCracken (Iowa Department of Human Services), Paul Spencer (Oneida County Department of Social Services), and the assistance of Ashley Anderson, Lisa Bauer, Robin Barry, Allyson Bone, Beth Boyer, Kristy DePalma, Aubra Hoffman, Esther Hoffman, Kathryn Holman, Kyla Kinnick, Gina Koeppl, Robert Latzman, Katie Meyer, Bethany Murphy, Amanda Murray, Laureen Ann Rapier, Eunyoe Ro, Nicole Shay, and Sarah Taber is gratefully acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to John F. Knutson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Knutson, J.F., Lawrence, E., Taber, S.M. et al. Assessing Children’s Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 12, 157–173 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-009-0048-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-009-0048-1

Keywords

Navigation