Citation

Blackburn JF. J. Aggression Maltreat. Trauma 2008; 17(4): 415-438.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10926770802463396

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This study examined whether children exposed to domestic violence perform worse on tests of reading and phonological awareness than children from nonviolent homes. Forty children, ages 6 to 9 years, were divided into control or domestic violence groups based on their mothers' responses on the revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2). The groups were matched on age, gender, nonverbal IQ, and socioeconomic status. The domestic violence group performed worse than the control group on all measures of reading and phonological awareness. Significantly more children in the domestic violence group were identified as having reading difficulties compared to the control group. The results suggest that domestic violence may negatively impact children's reading skills, and appropriate intervention techniques should be developed.