TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2021//
TI  - Supporting children who experience domestic violence: evaluating the child witness to domestic violence program
JO  - Journal of interpersonal violence
A1  - Schubert, Erin C.
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - Impacting 1 in 4 children in the United States, childhood exposure to domestic violence predicts myriad negative sequelae. Intervening post exposure is critical to help children and their protective parent heal and avoid long-term negative consequences. Children aged 2-17 and their mothers who were victims of domestic violence participated in a 12-week group program delivered by domestic violence agency staff that provides psychoeducation on the impact of trauma and domestic violence and aims to improve parent and child well-being. The impact of the Child Witness to Domestic Violence (CWDV) program was tested in an intervention group (n = 69 children, 33 mothers) who participated in CWDV and control group (n = 80 children, 39 mothers) consisting of children whose mothers received adult-focused domestic violence services but were not enrolled in CWDV or other child-focused services. Multiple regression analyses controlling for child gender, child age, mother's age, and the outcome of interest at time 1 found that participation in CWDV program significantly predicted better child functioning as indicated by less hyperactivity (B = -.85, p =.06), fewer negative emotional symptoms (B = -1.14, p =.01), and fewer total behavioral difficulties (B = -2.48, p =.02) as well as higher maternal hope (B =.57, p =.03). These data provide promising evidence of the impact of a brief, replicable group intervention that promotes healing and well-being among children and parents exposed to domestic violence. Limitations include a quasi-experimental design and reliance on maternal report.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0886-2605
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/08862605211035874
ID  - ref1
ER  -