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The Effect of Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence on Children’s Academic Functioning: A Systematic Review of the Literature

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Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure threatens healthy child development by compromising outcomes across a range of domains including academic functioning. However, research suggests variability in the strength and nature of the association between IPV exposure and academic functioning, and the extent to which it varies by different academic outcomes and co-occurring risk factors (e.g., child maltreatment). This systematic review seeks to clarify the relation between IPV exposure and academic functioning by distilling overall outcome trends and critically assessing the existing literature’s strengths and limitations. Seven databases were searched to identify relevant articles published through August 2020. Studies were included if (a) at least 80% of the sample were from birth to 18 years of age; (b) valid tools were used to measure outcome variables, and (c) outcomes of children exposed to IPV were compared with children who experienced other forms of violence and/or no violence exposure. After screening, the review yielded 13 articles examining academic functioning. The majority (76.9%, n = 10) of the studies found a negative association between IPV exposure and academic functioning, but results varied among subdomains of academic functioning (subjective performance, objective performance, and conduct). Findings from several studies indicate that the combined experience of IPV exposure and maltreatment negatively affects academic functioning. Results highlight the need for: 1) additional research examining IPV exposure and academic functioning 2) early detection of IPV-exposed children, and 3) the development and implementation of evidence-based interventions to support academic functioning.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Jamie Cage & Aaron Kemmerer

  2. School of Social Work, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Julia M. Kobulsky

  3. National Initiative On Mixed-Income Communities, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Sherise J. McKinney

  4. Center On Trauma and Adversity, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106-7164, USA

    Megan R. Holmes, Kristen A. Berg & Anna E. Bender

  5. Center for Health Care Research and Policy, The MetroHealth System, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Kristen A. Berg

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  1. Jamie Cage
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Correspondence to Megan R. Holmes.

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Cage, J., Kobulsky, J.M., McKinney, S.J. et al. The Effect of Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence on Children’s Academic Functioning: A Systematic Review of the Literature. J Fam Viol 37, 1337–1352 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-021-00314-0

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