Bridging Disciplinary Boundaries (January 11 - 14, 2007)

Purpose: To examine the association between mothers' reports of experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV), including both physical and psychological aggression, and self-reports of maternal child abuse and neglect (CAN).

Methods: Data for this study were drawn from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. The study includes data from 20 large U.S. cities (populations > 200,000). Four interviews were conducted: baseline, 1-year, 3-year, and 3-year in-home assessments. The baseline data provides a representative sample of non-marital births in the 20 cities and also of all non-marital births in U.S. cities with populations greater than 200,000. Mothers who reported currently having a partner at the 3-year follow-up were included in these analyses (n=2,523). IPV physical aggression questions were taken from the Conflict Tactics Scale (Straus et al., 1996); psychological aggression questions were adapted from research by Sally Lloyd (1996). Maternal perceived stress was assessed using the shortened version of the Parent Stress Inventory (Abidin, 1995). CAN was assessed using the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scales (Straus, et al, 1998). The 3-year follow-up data was used to examine the association between IPV and the occurrence of maternal CAN using multiple logistic regression models; further analyses will be conducted to examine the longitudinal relationship of IPV at year 1 and CAN at year 3. Potential mediating effects of maternal stress were examined. Demographic variables linked with variation in risk for CAN were included in the final multivariate models. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and [confidence intervals] are reported.

Results: After controlling for perceived stress and other covariates, mothers who report IPV by their partners more often report being psychologically aggressive (AOR = 2.1 [1.5–2.9]), physically aggressive (AOR = 1.7 [1.3–2.2]), and neglectful (AOR = 1.5 [1.1–2.1]) toward their children. High levels of perceived stress are independently associated with risk for psychological (AOR = 4.0 [2.4-6.6]) and physical aggression (AOR = 2.8 [2.0-3.8]) and neglect (AOR = 6.9 [4.7-10.1]).

Implications: Mothers who experienced psychological and/or physical aggression by their intimate partners more frequently reported themselves to be psychologically or physically aggressive or neglectful toward their children. Maternal perceived stress does not mediate the association between experiencing IPV and perpetrating CAN, however high levels of perceived stress was the most robust predictor of maternal CAN. Research into the predictors of CAN, as well as into the nature of the relationship between IPV and CAN, can aid in developing more effective prevention strategies for CAN.

References: Abidin R. Parent Stress Inventory, 3rd Edition. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessments Resources; 1995. Lloyd S. Physical aggression, distress, and everyday marital interaction. In: Cahn DD, Lloyd SA, eds. Family violence from a communication perspective. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; 1996:177-198. Straus MA, Hamby SL, Boney-McCoy S, Sugarman DB. The Revised Conflict Tactics Scale\ (CTS2): Development and preliminary psychometric data. Journal of Family Issues. 1996;17:283-316. Straus M, Hamby S, Finkelhor D, Moore D, Runyan D. Identification of child maltreatment with the parent-child conflict tactics scales: Development and psychometric data for a national sample of American parents. Child Abuse & Neglect. 1998;22:249-270.