This study examines the relationships among variables that were likely to mediate the effects of exposure to domestic violence on children's internalizing problems (i.e., children's appraisals of domestic violence and their perceptions of family relationships). The study was conducted with 79 children exposed to domestic violence, including 41 boys and 38 girls, aged between 9 and 12 years old. Indicators used for children's appraisals of violence were attribution of blame and perceived threat. Children's perceptions of family relationships were based on their levels of parentification and the degree of their loyalty conflicts. A path analysis was used to verify the predictive model's pathways and to test the multiple mediator effects. Findings confirm the contribution of mediating variables and also reflect the association between self-blame and children's parentification. The results stress the relevance of evaluating the combined role of different potential mediators to provide a better understanding of the impact of domestic violence on children.

Children's appraisals as mediators of the relationship between domestic violence and child adjustment.

La violence conjugale est un probleme social grave et persistant ; le tiers des femmes de la planete en a deja ete victime. Cet article vise a discuter des liens empiriques et theoriques entre les violences conjugales, familiales et structurelles. L’article debutera par une breve mise en contexte decrivant comment la violence conjugale s’est construite comme un probleme socio-penal au Quebec. Les principales lacunes des connaissances actuelles dans le domaine seront ensuite identifiees, demontrant ainsi la necessite de mieux comprendre les liens complexes entre les violences conjugales, familiales et structurelles, trois concepts dont les definitions pourraient s’enrichir et se completer mutuellement. Cet article soulignera l’importance de prendre en consideration les realites diversifiees auxquelles sont confrontes les acteurs concernes par ces violences (femmes, hommes et enfants), en privilegiant une analyse globale qui integre non seulement les facteurs individuels et interpersonnels, mais aussi les facteurs sociaux et structurels, notamment les oppressions liees au genre ou a d’autres marqueurs de l’identite sociale. La discussion sera enrichie par des modeles theoriques decrivant les differentes dynamiques de violences conjugales et familiales ainsi que par le feminisme intersectionnel, qui s’avere fort utile pour l’analyse des violences structurelles. La conclusion traitera des retombees potentielles d’une analyse des liens entre les violences conjugales, familiales et structurelles sur les politiques sociales et les programmes d’intervention pour les victimes, les agresseurs et les enfants exposes a la violence conjugale.

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Les violences conjugales, familiales et structurelles : vers une perspective intégrative des savoirs

This qualitative study examines the perceptions of mothers, fathers, and adolescents on the relations they see between intimate partner violence, mental health and substances use parental problems that co-occur in their family, and the mothers' and fathers' associated parenting challenges. The sample was composed of 43 people (15 mothers, 16 fathers, and 12 adolescents) who were directly affected by the co-occurrence of intimate partner violence and mental health or substances use parental problems. The participants were recruited with the collaboration of public and community organizations in the Province of Quebec (Canada). The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and combined with a table detailing the specific problems identified by the participants. A thematic content analysis method was employed to do the coding, and a summary of the results was returned to some participants who agreed to collaborate with the validation of the results. The analysis revealed numerous and diverse relations between the interviewees' co-occurring problems, but two principal patterns emerged. The first one was chiefly observed in the comments made by mothers and adolescents who saw the co-occurring problems as being the consequence of the intimate partner violence on the mother. The second pattern was largely observed in the fathers' comments, who explained that the substance use problems came before the intimate partner violence and acted as an aggravating factor. The co-occurrence of intimate partner violence with other parental problems strongly affected the mothers' and fathers' parenting, making it more difficult to meet the children's needs. Considering the complexity and diversity of the experiences and needs of the mothers, fathers, and children in co-occurring situations, future studies should evaluate the services provided to these families and the coordination between the different concerned organizations.

How Adolescents, Mothers, and Fathers Qualitatively Describe Their Experiences of Co-Occurrent Problems: Intimate Partner Violence, Mental Health, and Substance Use.

Violence conjugale, stress maternel et développement de l’enfant.

This study examines the association between exposure to domestic violence, children’s perceptions of family relationships, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and explores the moderating role of children’s perceptions of family relationships. The sample consists of 46 children exposed to domestic violence (26 girls and 20 boys), aged 6 to 12 years, staying at housing shelters for victims of domestic violence. Children completed several questionnaires and the SAGA, a systemic tool, enabling us to examine their perceptions and family relationships. The results indicate that exposure to domestic violence is related to symptoms of anxiety and depression and to the child’s perception of father-mother and father-child relationships in both conflictual and typical situations. Perceptions of father-mother and father-child relationships in typical situations are both associated with anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms. In contrast, the mother-child relationship was found to have a moderating role on the relation between the duration of domestic violence exposure and the symptom of anger. This study attests to the value of continuing research on the role of the child’s perception of family relationships, but above all to better regulate the visiting and accommodation rights of fathers who perpetrate domestic violence in order to protect children, especially when they show symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

Perceptions of Family Relationships and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms of Children Exposed to Domestic Violence

Mothers' health and quality of mother-child relationship are often held as factors that predict the adaptation of children exposed to domestic violence, but the connection between these factors has not been analysed yet. This study verifies if mothers' health has a mediator or a moderator effect on the connection between domestic violence and mother-child relationship. The study was conducted with 111 abused women and their children aged 6 to 12 years. An indicator of physical health and a score of psychological distress were used to measure mothers' health. The mother-child relationship was evaluated from both the mother's and the child's perspective. The results show that the 2 indicators of mother's health have no mediator effect, but have a moderator effect when the mother-child relationship was evaluated by children themselves. The discussion underlines the importance of mother's health as a protective factor for mother-child relationship and the incidence of this result for intervention. The interest of having multiple informants is also underlined.

Édith de la Sablonnière

Papers

Violence conjugale et qualité de la relation mère-enfant: Effet médiateur ou modérateur de la santé des mères ?