Examining Problem Behaviors in Latino/a Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health problem that intersects race, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic class, and geographic area.  Despite a growing body of IPV research, few studies have been conducted to understand culturally-specific protective and risk factors that operate in the lives of children exposed to IPV. A smaller number have focused on Latino children exposed to IPV, resulting in a scarcity of culturally relevant prevention strategies, interventions, and programs to prevent IPV and support positive youth development in this population. The goal of the current study was to examine the relationships between individual and family factors and externalizing, rule-breaking, and aggressive behaviors among a sample of Latino children exposed to IPV and animal abuse. 

Method: Women who self-identified as Latina and had children between the ages of 7 and 12 were recruited from one of 22 domestic violence agencies in a western U.S. state; 55% of mothers were born outside the US.  The mean age of mothers in this sample was 36.3 (SD = 7.4).  Thirty-six percent of the mothers had less than a high school education, 39% were high school graduates and 26% had some college education or a degree. The mean annual income for the sample was $20,000. The percentage of women receiving non-residential services was 77.3%. The sample of children was gender-balanced  (52.6% male, 47.4% female) with a mean age of 9.09 (SD= 1.6) and identified racially/ethnically as follows: 55.3% Latino or Hispanic, 22% White, 17.9% more than 1 race, 3.4% African American or Black, 1.0% American Indian, and 0.3% Asian. Multiple regression was conducted to examine if the individual and family level correlates (e.g., child’s age, gender, income, mother’s education, exposure to IVP, exposure to animal abuse, mother’s birthplace, and child Latino ethnicity status) were associated with externalizing, rule-breaking, and aggressive behaviors as measured by the Child Behavior Check List (CBCL). 

Results: Results identified unique correlates for problem behaviors. Mother’s birthplace (U.S. vs. other; B = -4.24, p < .001), child age (B = -.67, p < .05), and income (B = -.76, p < .01) were significantly associated with externalizing behaviors.  Mother’s birthplace (B = -3.12, p < .001), child age (B = -.55, p < .01), and income (B = -.49, p < .05) were significantly associated with child aggressive behaviors. Only mother’s birthplace (B = -1.12, p < .01) and income (B = -.27, p< .01) were significantly associated with rule-breaking behaviors.   

Conclusions: Results of this study suggest that context matters. Yearly household income and mother’s place of birth were significantly negatively associated with childhood behaviors, whereas exposure to intimate partner violence and exposure to animal abuse were not.  We discuss implications for future research and interventions with Latino/a children and families experiencing IPV.