A systematic literature review of protective factors mitigating intimate partner violence exposure on early childhood health outcomes.
Kathryn J Spearman, Emily Hoppe, Emma Jagasia
PMID 36938995WHAT IT FOUND
Warm, nurturing parenting and maternal mental health buffer children aged 0-6 against the harms of intimate partner violence.
Early cessation of violence and maternal employment also predict better behavioural outcomes, supporting a two-generation care approach.
Key findings
01Maternal health, sensitive parenting, and socio-economic advantages like employment and education are key family-level protective factors that mitigate the impact of IPV on children's behavioural and mental health outcomes.
02Individual child traits such as emotional self-regulation, temperament, and self-esteem serve as protective factors against the adverse effects of IPV exposure.
03The cessation of violence exposure at an early age is significantly associated with greater emotional and behavioural resilience in children.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Most included studies relied solely on maternal reports for both violence exposure and child behaviour, introducing potential bias. The role of fathers as perpetrators or victims was largely ignored in the literature. The review was limited to US and UK populations, lacking an international perspective. Resilience was often measured cross-sectionally, failing to capture its dynamic nature over time. Few studies examined physical health outcomes or societal-level protective factors like family court decisions.
Declared interests
No specific conflicts of interest or funding sources were declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these protective factors as guaranteed outcomes; the review highlights associations from observational studies, not causal proof that specific interventions will eliminate the impact of IPV. Additionally, the heavy reliance on maternal reports means child outcomes may be skewed by the mother's own mental health status.