Intimate Partner Violence, Parenting, and Children’s Representations of Caregivers

Bharathi J. Zvara, Roger Mills-Koonce, Lynne Vernon Feagans, Martha Cox, Clancy Blair, Peg Burchinal, Linda Burton, Keith Crnic, Ann Crouter, Patricia Garrett-Peters, Mark Greenberg, Stephanie Lanza, Emily Werner, Michael Willoughby

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Children’s representational models of self and relationship quality with caregivers in the context of intimate partner violence (IPV) were investigated using family drawings created by children in their first-grade year. The present study examines the mediating role of mothers’ and fathers’ sensitive parenting behaviors in the relations between IPV and children’s representations of relationship quality with mothers and fathers. The sample (N = 947) is drawn from a longitudinal study of rural poverty exploring the ways in which child, family, and contextual factors shape development over time. Results of analyses indicate significant associations between IPV, sensitive parenting, and children’s representation of relationship quality with mothers and fathers. There was a significant indirect effect from IPV on children’s representation of relationship quality with fathers through paternal parenting behaviors. The findings from this study suggest that exposure to violence may affect how children view their family relationships and that fathers’ parenting behavior is a key mediating process. Implications of the findings and directions for future study are proposed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)NP11756-NP11779
JournalJournal of Interpersonal Violence
Volume36
Issue number21-22
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2021

Keywords

  • children’s representations
  • intimate partner violence
  • maternal parenting
  • paternal parenting

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Applied Psychology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Intimate Partner Violence, Parenting, and Children’s Representations of Caregivers'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this