Proximity and Risk in Children's Witnessing of Intimate Partner Violence Incidents

Abstract

There is a dearth of research about event details in children's exposure to adult intimate partner violence (IPV). This article reports data gathered from 507 families (including 1012 children) who called 911 for an IPV incident. A majority of children were present in the home at the time of the violent event, with older children more likely to be directly involved in the violence and to witness incidents with weapons. In order to assess the relationship between exposure to violence and subsequent short-term adjustment, data were analyzed for a subsample of children in 66 families. A combination of acute and chronic risk variables (proximity to the violence and prior trauma history) significantly predicted child functioning within days of the traumatic event.