Skip to main content

Family Violence and Parent Psychopathology

Implications for Children’s Socioemotional Development and Resilience

  • Chapter
Handbook of Resilience in Children

Abstract

Family violence, which refers to child maltreatment and intimate partner violence, is a widespread problem in the United States. In 2002, the most recent year for which figures are available, 896,000 children were found to be victims of maltreatment, including physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, and neglect (U.S. Department of Health and Human Sciences, 2004). A recent survey found that approximately 1.5 million women and 834,700 men are victims of intimate partner violence annually (Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998). Many victims of partner violence live with children. A U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics special report found that between 1993 and 1998, the average number of victims of intimate partner violence who lived with children under the age of 12 was 459,590 (Rennison & Welchans, 2000).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Abramson, L. Y., Metalsky, G. I., & Alloy, L. B. (1989). Hopelessness depression: A theory-based subtype of depression. Psychological Review, 96, 358–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: Text revision (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, K. L. (2002). Perpetrator or victim? Relationships between intimate partner violence and well-being. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 64, 851–863.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Appel, A. E., & Holden, G. W. (1998). The co-occurrence of spouse and physical child abuse: A review and appraisal. Journal of Family Psychology, 12, 578–599.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arseneault, L., Moffitt, T. E., Caspi, A., Taylor, A., Rijsdijk, F. V., Jaffee, S. R. et al. (2003). Strong genetic effects on cross-situational antisocial behavior among 5-year-old children according to mothers, teachers, examiner-observers, and twins’ self-reports. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 44, 832–848.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Azar, S. T. (2002). Parenting and child maltreatment. In M. H. Bornstein (Ed.), Handbook of parenting (Vol. 4): Social conditions and applied parenting (pp. 361–388). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Azar, S. T., & Twentyman, C. T. (1986). Cognitive behavioral perspectives on the assessment and treatment of child abuse. In P. C. Kendall (Ed.), Advances in cognitive behavioral research and therapy (Vol. 5) (pp. 237–267). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J. (1980). Child maltreatment: An ecological integration. American Psychologist, 35, 320–335.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J. (1984). The determinants of parenting: A process model. Child Development, 55, 83–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J. (1993). Etiology of child maltreatment: A developmental-ecological analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 114, 413–434.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Belsky, J., & Vondra, J. (1989). Lessons from child abuse: The determinants of parenting. In D. Cicchetti & V. Carlson (Eds.), Child maltreatment: Theory and research on the causes and consequences of child abuse and neglect (pp. 153–202). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benjet, C., Azar, S. T., & Kuersten-Hogan, R. (2003). Evaluating the parental fitness of psychiatrically diagnosed individuals: Advocating a functional-contextual analysis of parenting. Journal of Family Psychology, 17, 238–251.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bijur, P. E., Kurzon, M., Overpeck, M. D., & Scheidt, P. C. (1992). Parental alcohol use, problem drinking and child injuries. Journal of the American Medical Association, 23, 3166–3171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bland, R., & Orn, H. (1986). Family violence and psychiatric disorder. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 31, 129–137.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J., Cohen, P., Johnson, J. G., & Salzinger, S. (1998). A longitudinal analysis of risk factors for child maltreatment: Findings of a 17-year prospective study of officially recorded and self-reported child abuse and neglect. Child Abuse and Neglect, 22, 1065–1078.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Capaldi, D. M., & Clark, S. (1998). Prospective family predictors of aggression toward female partners for at-risk young men. Developmental Psychology, 34, 1175–1188.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caspi, A., McClay, J., Moffitt, T. E., Mill, J., Martin, J., Craig, I. W. et al. (2002). Role of genotype in the cycle of violence in maltreated children. Science, 297, 851–854.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caspi, A., Sugden, K., Moffitt, T. E., Taylor, A., Craig, I. W., Harrington, H. et al. (2003). Influence of life stress on depression: Moderation by a polymorphism in the 5-HTT gene. Science, 31, 386–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaffin, M., Kelleher, K., & Hollenberg, J. (1996). Onset of physical abuse and neglect: Psychiatric, substance abuse, and social risk factors from prospective community data. Child Abuse and Neglect, 20, 191–203.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Children of Alcoholics Foundation Inc. (1996). Collaboration, coordination and cooperation: Helping children affected by parental addiction and family violence. New York: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cicchetti, D., & Garmezy, N. (1993). Prospects and promises in the study of resilience. Development and Psychopathology, 5, 497–502.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cicchetti, D., & Rizley, R. (1981). Developmental perspectives on the etiology, intergenerational transmission, and sequelae of child maltreatment. New Directions for Child Development, 11, 31–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Craig, R. J. (2003). Use of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory in the psychological assessment of domestic violence: A review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 8, 235–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curtis, P., & McCullough, C. (1993). The impact of alcohol and other drugs on the child welfare system. Child Welfare, 72, 533–542.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Danielson, K. K., Moffitt, T. E., Caspi, A., & Silva, P. A. (1998). Comorbidity between abuse of an adult and DSM-III-R mental disorders: Evidence from an epidemiological study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 155, 131–133.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De Bellis, M. D., Broussard, E. R., Herring, D. J., Wexler, S., Moritz, G., & Benitez, J. G. (2001). Psychiatric comorbidity in caregivers and children involved in maltreatment: A pilot research study with policy implications. Child Abuse and Neglect, 25, 923–944.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dinwiddie, S. H., & Bucholz, K. K. (1993). Psychiatric diagnoses of self-reported child abusers. Child Abuse and Neglect, 17, 465–476.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dix, T. (1991). The affective organization of parenting: Adaptive and maladaptive processes. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 3–25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dixon, L., & Browne, K. (2003). The heterogeneity of spouse abuse: A review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 8, 107–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Downey, G., & Coyne, J. C. (1990). Children of depressed parents: A integrative review. Psychological Bulletin, 108, 50–76.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dutton, D. G. (1994). The origin and structure of abusive personality. Journal of Personality Disorders, 8, 181–191.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dutton, D. G. (1995). Intimate abusiveness. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 2, 207–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edleson, J. L. (1999). The overlap between child maltreatment and woman battering. Violence Against Women, 5, 134–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Egami, Y., Ford, D., Greenfield, S., & Crum, R. (1996). Psychiatric profile and sociodemographic characteristics of adults who report physically abusing or neglecting their children. American Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 921–925.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Famularo, R., Kinscherff, R., & Fenton, T. (1992). Parental substance abuse and the nature of child maltreatment. Child Abuse and Neglect, 16, 475–483.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Famularo, R., Stone, K., Barnum, R., & Wharton, R. (1986). Alcoholism and severe child maltreatment. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 56, 481–485.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gelles, R. (1973). Child abuse as psychopathology: A sociological critique and reformulation. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 43, 611–621.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gleason, W. G. (1997). Psychological and social dysfunctions in battering men: A review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2, 43–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Golding, J. M. (1999). Intimate partner violence as a risk factor for mental disorders: A meta-analysis. Journal of Family Violence, 14, 99–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, S. H., & Gotlib, I. H. (1999). Risk for psychopathology in the children of depressed mothers: A developmental model for understanding mechanisms of transmission. Psychological Review, 106, 458–490.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hamer, D. (2002). Rethinking behavior genetics. Science, 298, 71–72.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hammen, C., & Brennan, P. A. (2003). Severity, chronicity, and timing of maternal depression and risk for adolescent offspring diagnoses in a community sample. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60, 253–258.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Holtzworth-Monroe, A., Meehan, J. C., Herron, K., Rehman, U., & Stuart, G. L. (2000). Testing the Holtzworth-Monroe and Stuart (1994) Batterer typology. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 1000–1019.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holtzworth-Monroe, A., Meehan, J. C., Herron, K., Rehman, U., & Stuart, G. L. (2003). Do subtypes of maritally violent men continue to differ over time? Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71, 728–740.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holtzworth-Monroe, A., & Stuart, G. L. (1994). Typologies of male batterers: Three subtypes and differences among them. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 476–497.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, H. M., & Luke, D. A. (1998). Heterogeneity in adjustment among children of battered women. In G. W. Holden, R. Geffner, & E. N. Jouriles (Eds.), Children exposed to family violence: Theory, research, and applied issues (pp. 185–221). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Jaffee, S. R., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., Dodge, K. A., Rutter, M., Taylor, A. et al. (in press a). Nature x nurture: Genetic vulnerabilities interact with child maltreatment to promote behavior problems. Development and Psychopathology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaffee, S. R., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., Polo-Tomas, M., Price, T. S., & Taylor, A. (in press b). The limits of child effects: Evidence for genetically-mediated child effects on corporal punishment, but not on maltreatment. Developmental Psychology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaffee, S. R., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., & Taylor, A. (2004). Physical maltreatment victim to antisocial child: Evidence of an environmentally-mediated process. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 113, 44–55.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kadushin, A., & Martin, J. (1981). Child abuse: An interactional event. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman, J., Cook, A., Arny, L., Jones, B., & Pittinsky, T. (1994). Problems defining resiliency: Illustrations from the study of maltreated children. Development and Psychopathology, 6, 215–229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelley, S. J. (1992). Parenting stress and child maltreatment in drug-exposed children. Child Abuse and Neglect, 16, 317–328.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kempe, C. H., Silverman, F. N., Steele, B. B., Droegemueller, W., & Silver, H. K. (1962). The battered child syndrome. Journal of the American Medical Association, 181, 17–24.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kendler, K. S., & Prescott, C. A. (1999). A population-based twin study of lifetime major depression in men and women. Archives of General Psychiatry, 56, 39–44.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kraemer, H. C. (2003). Current concepts of risk in psychiatric disorders. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 16, 421–430.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krueger, R. F., Caspi, A., & Moffitt, T. E. (2000). Epidemiological personology: The unifying role of personality in population-based research on problem behaviors. Journal of Personality, 68, 967–998.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lung, C. T., & Daro, D. (1996). Current trends in child abuse reporting and fatalities: The results of the 1995 annual fifity state survey. Chicago: National Committee to prevent Child Abuse.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luthar, S. S., Cicchetti, D., & Becker, B. (2000). The construct of resilience: A critical evaluation and guidelines for future work. Child Development, 71, 543–562.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Magdol, L., Moffitt, T. E., Caspi, A., Newman, D. L., Fagan, J., & Silva, P. A. (1997). Gender differences in partner violence in a birth cohort of 21-year-olds: Bridging the gap between clinical and epidemiological approaches. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 68–78.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Magdol, L., Moffitt, T. E., Caspi, A., & Silva, P. A. (1998). Developmental antecedents of partner abuse: A prospective-longitudinal study. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 107, 375–389.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Margolin, G., & Gordis, E. B. (2000). The effects of family and community violence on children. Annual Review of Psychology, 51, 445–479.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Masten, A. S., & Coatsworth, J. D. (1998). The development of competence in favorable and unfavorable environments. American Psychologist, 53, 205–220.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McGloin, J. M., & Widom, C. S. (2001). Resilience among abused and neglected children grown up. Development and Psychopathology, 13, 1021–1038.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Milner, J. S. (2003). Social information processing in high-risk and physically abusive parents. Child Abuse and Neglect, 27, 7–20.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moffitt, T. E., Caspi, A., Harrington, H., & Milne, B. J. (2002). Males on the life-course-persistent and adolescence-limited antisocial pathways: Follow-up at age 26 years. Development and Psychopathology, 14, 179–207.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, J. M., Jellinek, M., Quinn, D., Smith, G., Poitrast, F. G., & Goshko, M. (1991). Substance abuse and serious child mistreatment: Prevalence, risk, and outcome in a court sample. Child Abuse and Neglect, 15, 197–211.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Newcomb, M. D., & Loeb, T. B. (1999). Poor parenting as an adult problem behavior: General deviance, deviant attitudes, inadequate family support and bonding, or just bad parents? Journal of Family Psychology, 13, 175–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Noller, P., Beach, S., & Osgarby, S. (1997). Cognitive and affective processes in marriage. In W. K. Halford & H. J. Markman (Eds.), Clinical handbook of marriage and couples interventions (pp. 43–71). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parke, R., & Collmer, C. (1975). Child abuse: An interdisciplinary review. In E. M. Hetherington (Ed.), Review of child development research (Vol. 5) (pp. 509–590). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Post, R. M. (1992). Transduction of psychosocial stress into the neurobiology of recurrent affective disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 149, 999–1010.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rennison, C. M., & Welchans, S. (2000). Intimate partner violence. NCJ Publication No. 178247 (pp. 1–11). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhee, S. H., & Waldman, I. D. (2002). Genetic and environmental influences on antisocial behavior: A meta-analysis of twin and adoption studies. Psychological Bulletin, 29, 490–529.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robins, L. N., & Regier, D. A. (1991). Psychiatric disorders in America: The epidemiologic catchment area study. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robins, R. W., Caspi, A., & Moffitt, T. E. (2002). It’s not just who you’re with, it’s who you are: Personality and relationship experiences across multiple relationships. Journal of Personality, 70, 925–964.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M. (1979). Protective factors in children’s responses to stress and disadvantage. In M. W. Kent & J. E. Rolf (Eds.), Primary prevention of psychopathology: Social competence in children (pp. 49–74). Hanover, NH: University Press of New England.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutter, M., Silberg, J., O’Connor, T., & Simonoff, E. (1999). Genetics and child psychiatry: II Empirical research findings. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 19–55.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Spinetta, J., & Rigler, D. (1972). The child abusing parent: A psychological review. Psychological Bulletin, 77, 296–304.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Straus, M. A., Gelles, R. J., & Steinmetz, S. K. (1980). Behind closed doors. New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sugarman, D. B., & Frankel, S. L. (1996). Patriarchal ideology and wife-assault: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Family Violence, 11, 13–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, P. F., Neale, M. C., & Kendler, K. S. (2000). Genetic epidemiology of major depression: Review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Psychiatry, 157, 1552–1562.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tjaden, P., & Thoennes, N. (1998). Prevalence, incidence, and consequences of violence against women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. Retrieved August 30, 2004 from http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles/172837.pdf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tolan, P. H., & Guerra, N. (1998). Societal causes of violence against children. In P. K. Trickett & C. J. Schellenbach (Eds.), Violence against children in the family and the community (pp. 195–209). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Trickett, P. K., & Susman, E. J. (1988). Parental perceptions of child-rearing practices in physically abusive and nonabusive families. Developmental Psychology, 24, 270–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (2004). Child Maltreatment 2002. Retrieved August 30, 2004 from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/cm02/.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wasserman, D. R., & Leventhal, J. M. (1993). Maltreatment of children born to cocaine-abusing mothers. American Journal of Diseases of Children, 147, 1324–1328.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Harkness, A. R. (1994). Structures of personality and their relevance to psychopathology. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 103, 18–31.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Whipple, E. E., & Webster-Stratton, C. (1991). The role of parental stress in physically abuse families. Child Abuse and Neglect, 15, 279–291.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2005 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Jaffee, S.R. (2005). Family Violence and Parent Psychopathology. In: Goldstein, S., Brooks, R.B. (eds) Handbook of Resilience in Children. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-48572-9_10

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics