Children's Direct Sensory Exposure to Substantiated Domestic Violence Crimes

• NCJ Number: 218370
• Journal: Violence and Victims Volume: 22 Issue: 2 Dated: 2007 Pages: 158-171
• Author(s): John Fantuzzo Ph.D.; Rachel Fusco MSW
• Date Published: 2007
• Length: 14 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: David and Lucile Packard Foundation
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined whether children were disproportionately present in households with substantiated cases of domestic violence events (DVEs), whether these households had disproportionate exposure to other known risks for DVEs, and the DVE characteristics uniquely associated with children's direct exposure to domestic violence.

Abstract

There is growing evidence that when children witness violence that results in injuries, they are at risk of experiencing posttraumatic stress symptoms. Also, when mutual assault was involved in the DVE, children were more likely to be directly exposed. Knowledge about children's exposure to DVEs can help child protection workers select appropriate services for the children in the household. Findings show that children were present in almost half of all the DVEs investigated in the municipality studied. In the households where children were present, 92 percent of the DVEs involved violence against the children's mother. Eighty-one percent of the children had direct sensory exposure to the violence; 19 percent were in the household but did not hear, see, or become physically involved in the DVE. Of the children directly exposed to DVEs, children younger than 6 years old were disproportionately represented. Households where children were directly exposed to DVEs were more likely to have risk factors linked to DVEs--such as low income, being non-White, and being headed by a single female--compared to households at large. Children were more likely to be directly exposed to domestic violence when the victim was physically injured and when weapons were present. Study data were obtained from the domestic violence database of a large county police department in the Northeast. Data were collected on all DVEs substantiated by a law enforcement investigation across a 1-year period. The data-collection instrument was the Domestic Violence Event Protocol-Child Enhanced. Data pertained to 1,517 substantiated DVEs. 1 table and 32 references