Racial/Ethnic Differences in Predictors of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Among Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV): Evidence from a Nationally Representative Child Welfare Sample

Background and Purpose: Children exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) are at a heightened risk of experiencing posttraumatic stress symptoms. Preliminary evidence suggests that white children exposed to IPV are more likely to met criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than African American or Hispanic children exposed to IPV.  However, few studies to date consider racial/ethnic differences in outcomes of IPV exposed children, especially among children in the child welfare system (CWS).  Even fewer studies examine differences in predictors of trauma by child race/ethnicity.  This study fills this gap by examining whether differential predictors exist for White and minority children exposed to IPV utilizing a nationally representative sample of children in the CWS.

This study addresses two research questions: 1) Are there racial/ethnic differences in trauma symptoms among children exposed to IPV? 2) Are there differential predictors of trauma among White children exposed to IPV and minority children (e.g., African American and Hispanic) exposed to IPV?

Methods: To assess the impact of IPV exposure (Violence Exposure Scale for Children) on trauma symptoms (Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children), a sample of 668 children were drawn from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW-II) dataset. A one-way between groups ANOVA was tested to assess racial/ethnic differences in trauma symptoms.  Three multivariate linear regressions by child race/ethnicity (White, African American, Hispanic) were examined to test predictors of trauma among IPV exposed children. Predictors included IPV exposure (measured in both frequency and severity), child (e.g., age, gender), caregiver (e.g., depression, alcohol/drug use), and community (e.g., poverty, neighborhood quality) variables.

Results:  Seven percent of children in the sample met criteria for clinically significant trauma, although trauma symptoms did not significantly vary by child race/ethnicity.  IPV frequency and severity was predictive of trauma symptoms among all racial/ethnic groups, however different predictors of trauma emerged by child race/ethnicity. For White children, history of sexual abuse and caregiver depression significantly predicted trauma.  Household poverty level and caregiver age predicted trauma for African American children and perceived poor neighborhood quality predicted trauma for Hispanic children.

Conclusions and Implications: High rates of trauma among children exposed to IPV in the CWS underscore the importance of assessing IPV in this population.  Child protective services (CPS) caseworkers may require additional training on identifying and assessing IPV among children investigated for alleged abuse/neglect.  Rates of trauma did not differ by child race/ethnicity, but differential predictors of trauma emerged by race/ethnicity.  White children’s risk of experiencing trauma symptoms was centered on caregiver’s well being, while African American and Hispanic children’s risk was focused on community level factors.  These results suggest that child race/ethnicity may be an important factor to consider when designing and implementing interventions for children exposed to IPV.