Child Abuse Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Child Abuse, including details on family violence, examinations, long-term effects, psychiatrics disorders.

Persistence of intimate partner violence among families referred to child welfare.

Connelly CD, Hazen AL, Coben JH, Kelleher KJ, Barth RP, Landsverk JA

Child and Adolescent Services Research Center; University of San Diego, CA 92123-4282, USA. cconnelly@casrc.org

The purpose of this study is to examine the longitudinal course of intimate partner violence (IPV) among female caregivers of children receiving child welfare services. Data are derived from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, a national probability study of children investigated for child abuse and neglect in the United States. Caregivers (n = 861) are interviewed about demographic characteristics, mental health, substance use, and physical violence by a partner at the close of the investigation and at an 18-month follow-up. Polychotomous logistic regression examines the associations of severe and minor IPV controlling for caregiver and environmental characteristics. The results suggest that factors related to initial risk for IPV do not affect the continuation of IPV and that patterns of IPV differ for racial and ethnic groups.

Published 4 May 2006 in J Interpers Violence, 21(6): 774-97.
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