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Connecting Partner Violence to Poor Functioning for Mothers and Children: Modeling Intergenerational Outcomes

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Abstract

Violence against women, a global epidemic, frequently begins in childhood. Many abused women are mothers and many children witness the abuse of their mothers. To better understand the intergenerational impact and associated health outcomes, we tested 300 mother-child pairs using structural equation modeling. Mother’s history of abuse during childhood directly impacted the level of adult abuse, which predicted her child’s witness to the abuse. Maternal pain predicted maternal symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Mother’s mental health predicted the degree of child dysfunction, such as aggression and depression. These findings offer evidence for the urgent need to provide mental health interventions to improve maternal functioning of abused mothers as a conduit intervention to prevent child dysfunction and promote mother-child health.

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Acknowledgments

We appreciate the unflagging assistance and support of the administrators and staff of the five shelters in Harris County and the Chief and staff of The Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Family Criminal Law Division. We acknowledge funding by The Houston Endowment

Dedication

The 300 women and children who allow us to record their pain and recovery take emotional risks each time we meet. As one woman said, “I want to talk but it hurts to remember.” We thank each woman who chose to remember and dedicate the findings of this research to her courage and determination.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nelda C. Stark College of Nursing, Texas Woman’s University, 6700 Fannin Street., Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Nina Fredland, Lene Symes, Heidi Gilroy, Rene Paulson, Angeles Nava & Judith McFarlane

  2. Elite Research, LLC, 1925 E. Beltline Rd. Ste. 200, Carrollton, TX, 75006, USA

    Jacquelyn Pennings

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  1. Nina Fredland
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  2. Lene Symes
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  3. Heidi Gilroy
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  6. Judith McFarlane
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Correspondence to Nina Fredland.

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Fredland, N., Symes, L., Gilroy, H. et al. Connecting Partner Violence to Poor Functioning for Mothers and Children: Modeling Intergenerational Outcomes. J Fam Viol 30, 555–566 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-015-9702-1

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