Children exposed to domestic violence: Effects of gender and child physical abuse on psychosocial problems

Abstract

This study sought to compare the specific impact on psychological and behavioral problems in children of exposure to domestic violence and of both exposure and physical victimization. These effects are examined also as a function of gender. A community sample of 79 children aged 6-12 years and their mothers were divided into three groups: witness (N = 34), abused/witness (N = 20) and comparison (N = 25). Results showed that children in the two domestic violence groups presented more symptoms and behavioral problems than did the comparison group. The abused/witness children obtained significantly higher scores on 5 of the 9 CBCL scales. Only one gender-specific difference was observed: Girls presented more problems on the delinquent conduct scale.