Poster #28 - The role of parental depression in the relation between intimate partner violence and children’s psychological outcomes

• In Event: Poster Session 13

Abstract

Each year, millions of children witness intimate partner violence (IPV), which is abuse in various forms perpetrated by a current or former romantic partner. A substantial literature highlights the association between exposure to IPV and poorer psychological outcomes, such as internalizing and externalizing problems. Preschool-age children are particularly vulnerable to effects of IPV in part because they experience higher rates of IPV. However, little research has explored how IPV may affect preschool-age children’s psychological development. Moreover, although IPV has heterogeneous effects on children’s outcomes, mechanisms underlying the relation between IPV and child mental health outcomes are understudied. Parental depression has been postulated as a mediating factor between family context and child outcomes. Nevertheless, few studies have investigated how parental depression may link experiences of IPV and child outcomes longitudinally, assessing both mothers’ and fathers’ reports. Therefore, the present study examined the mediating effect of parental depression on the relation between experiences of IPV and psychological outcomes among a sample of preschool-age children. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of 165 children (71 girls, 94 boys) whose mothers and fathers participated at the first time-point of the study (T1) when children were 3 years old (Mage = 44.15 months; SD = 3.39). At T1, both parents completed the Conflicts and Problem-Solving Scales, Violence Form (CPS-V; Kerig, 1996). Mothers’ IPV variable is the composite of their self-reported perpetration of IPV and fathers’ perceptions of mothers’ IPV, and fathers’ IPV variable is the composite of their self-reported perpetration of IPV and mothers’ perceptions of fathers’ IPV. Families were followed up when children were 4 (T2) and 6 (T4) years old. At T2, parents completed the depressions scales of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III; Millon et al., 1997). At T4, parents completed the Behavior Assessment System for Children-Parenting Rating Scale (BASC-PRS) to assess children’s internalizing and externalizing problems. T4 child externalizing and internalizing latent variables were regressed on maternal and paternal depression at T2, as well as on mothers’ and fathers’ IPV at T1. Results of mediation analyses indicated that there were significant indirect paths from mothers’ IPV to child externalizing problems through maternal depression (b = 0.53, SE = 0.21, β = .12, 95% CI [0.19-1.02]) and paternal depression (b = 0.40, SE = 0.27, β = .09, 95% CI [0.02-1.11]). Neither of the indirect paths from fathers’ IPV to externalizing problems via maternal nor paternal depression was significant. The indirect effect from mothers’ IPV to child internalizing problems through paternal depression was significant (b = 0.61, SE = 0.33, β = .19, 95% CI [0.08-1.43]), but not through maternal depression. Neither of the indirect paths from fathers’ IPV to internalizing problems via maternal nor paternal depression was significant. These results highlight how IPV affects parental mental health in ways that negatively affect psychological wellbeing of their children and suggest a need for early interventions that mitigate the cascading effect of IPV on both parents’ and children’s psychological wellbeing.

Authors

• Minji Lee, University of Massachusetts Amherst
  Presenting Author

• Sungha Kang, Loyola University Chicago

• Ana Uribe, University of Massachusetts Amherst

• Elizabeth A Harvey, University of Massachusetts Amherst

• Maria M. Galano, University of Massachusetts Amherst